This Shining Armor Of Mine
by btheleaf
Summary: [AU]To put it simply: the world is in chaos. What else is new? Demons run amuck and the humans hide in fear behind a wall made of concrete re-enforced with a miko barrier. Kagome feels lost in a sea of people. But when she's taken hostage by a rouge half-demon with moon-kissed hair and a molten gaze, she finds a cause worth fighting for and a home in the most unlikely of places.
1. Prologue

_**Summary:** [AU] To put it simply: the world is in chaos. What else is new? Demons run amuck and the humans hide in fear behind a wall made of concrete re-enforced with a miko barrier. Kagome feels lost in a sea of people. But when she's taken hostage by a rouge half-demon with moon-kissed hair and a molten gaze, she finds a cause worth fighting for and a home in the most unlikely of places_

**_AN: _**_Hey everyone! I'm baaaaaacckk. This story has been rattling around in my head for some time now and I finally found the time to write it. I'm still tinkering around with my other story Homeless heart, but I think I might just end up deleting it. I had a bunch of good ideas for it in my head, yet when I try to write them all out they don't work very well so...who knows. _

_Anyway, this story will be a doozy. Its gonna be long. Theres gonna be romance. Theres gonna be fighting (I mean its set in the middle of a war there better be some fighting, for Kami's sake.) Theres a bunch of stuff thats going on. But I wanted to write a Prologue first to see if anyone was interested and thought I should continue with it. Give me feedback on what you think! I always love to hear what you guys have to say. _

_I have rated this story T...for now. That subject may be cause for change later. _

**_WorldsBestBetaReader:_**_Yourgoldeneyes_

**_Song inspiration for this chapter: _**_Daughter—Run__  
><em>

* * *

><p><em><em><strong>This Shining Armor Of Mine<strong>__

**Prologue.**

She hated herself a little more each time.

Creeping balls of feet cushioned her weight as she slipped over the ground, muffling the sound. A quiver of arrows jostled on her back, knocking around noisily much to her annoyance. Her hand was clamped around a longbow.

Every morning she did this. Every morning she snuck, she ducked and hid like a phantom. Every morning, like clockwork, she awoke before the rest of the field agents in her devision, sneaking past the captains quarters and heading outside towards The Wall. It was routine now, merely felt as if another part of her morning duties. Like brushing her teeth or making her bed.

Only this was grounds for getting kicked out of her division. And she hated herself more and more each time she did it.

_Why?_ she wondered as she flattened her back into a building while simultaneously poking her head around a corner to scout for the morning patrol. Why did she do this? Why did she feel it necessary to risk her beloved spot in Aramitama? Was this really worth it? What could she possibly gain?

She snapped her neck to the left and then right, darting a look this way and that before advancing, making extra sure to keep her head and chin low.

This particular morning the sky was grey and the sun was still considering weather to rise and tint the sky in a wash of breath stealing colors, or hide itself behind the overcast that had rolled in late the night before. A thick fog hovered above the grassy outer-lands of the city, which she graciously used as cover. Quickly running from the edge of the last building she brought the hood of her jacket farther down on her forehead, shielding eyes which were shifting around quickly.

Tall-grasses bent as she brushed them apart, continuing to run. Her breath came out in short pants, creating small puffs of air which hovered in the morning haze before quickly dispersing. Her boots squelched on the muddy ground underfoot.

The world was quiet now. Only the morning song of twittering birds filled the air. Everything else was silent. _And why wouldn't it be?_ she found herself asking, skipping over a small log. Without the noise pollution of masses of cars, airplanes, trains or buses, the world had fallen silent as it had been when it was new.

"_The world has a balance." _The echoing words of her mother bounced around in her head.

She pushed past the last of the tall-grasses that swayed somberly in the grey morning winds.

"_And it always finds a way to righten itself towards that balance." _

She stopped, allowing a brief moment to pant loudly, unafraid of being overheard. No one was around to hear the sound out here. All that stood before her was a few hundred feet of soggy grass and a looming wall. The Wall. It's large concrete panels formidable and damn near impenetrable. She knew this because many had tried. All had failed.

With a gulp of air the made her already burning chest and raw throat ache, she slipped the longbow over her spare shoulder, slipping its bowstring over her head expertly and securing it across her chest. She was really glad that she hadn't needed to use it today.

The young woman moved forward, head tipped up towards. She pressed her lips in a thin line of determination.

Two steps and she felt it; a small twinge of electricity zapping up the length of her spine. She didn't rear from it—she welcomed it. Basked in it, even. It wasn't painful or hurtful on her body. If anything, her body wanted more of it. Craved it.

Another step and another rippling electroshock. Stronger this time, stronger the closer she got. She merely swallowed, heading towards the metal set of stairs located parallel against The Wall. She placed both hands on the cold rails, climbing up and up and up. Another step, another zap.

This she knew. This feeling, this sensation—this was familiar. This was home. Her fingertips buzzed with a similar force, practically clawing to be free and become one with with the power she faced. The zaps dulled once she reached the top of the staircase, immense energy flowing through her like an old time friend welcoming her back. Almost like a hug. Her lips twitched with a grin.

The Wall had two stone-like towers on either side of her, but she ignored them both. No one patrolled out here so early in the morning. _They _didn't attack this early so it wasn't necessary. There were cameras pointed out toward the world beyond, eyes constantly watching behind a computer screen which relayed the image from some unknown building in the city. They needn't be pointed at the wall itself. She was safe here.

She lifted her head, grinning plainly as the sun finally showed itself off, setting the land on fire with brightness. She stood above it all, level with the highest trees, feeling as though all she had to do to skim the clouds with her fingertips was raise her hand. She overlooked the spectacle, crouching on the very edge of the wall that separated her from everything she never knew. Daringly, she dangled a booted foot over the edge, gazing out with the same awe she felt well up inside of her every morning. Come rain or shine, come hell or high-water, she would come just to see this.

Sprawled before her lay a land now dominated, once again, by the planet. Trees as far as they eye could see took up most of it, though very far away she could see the snowcapped mountain she had yet to learn the name of. And right before that was a city, now falling into the hands of nature. She'd been told that the city had once been dubbed Tokyo, and that it had been a booming metropolis before the Fifty Year War.

"Beautiful," she whispered, lowering her hood. A flood of black hair tumbled out from underneath the fabric, rolling down to the mid of her back. A stray strand whipped its way in front of her face, lashing out with the breeze.

She narrowed her unusually colored eyes, vision focusing like a zoom lens, trying to commit everything to memory. The blue sky. The decrepit city. The mountain peek. Everything, all of it. She drank it in, nearly drowning herself with it all.

A piece of herself, a small, childish piece liked to pretend that the city wasn't dead—that it was very much alive and well. She like to think about what everything would've been like had the Fifty Year War never happened. Liked to imagine the planet still turning, cities still thriving. Liked to think of what her grandfather might've been like. What her friends might've been like. Her brother.

She swallowed shakily, gripping the edge of the wall as if it were a lifeline of hope.

Her mother; what might her mother've been like? Would she had been as sad and brokenhearted as she was now? Or…or would everything be different?

What would she herself be like? she wondered.

Her head did a full three-sixty, turning all the way around, similar in fashion to a curious owl. When her gaze landed on the new city built behind the protective square of The Wall, her eyes dulled of their excitement just as the morning bell was rung.

"Time to go," she grumbled, standing. She gazed out past the concrete wall once more, adjusting her bow.

A flash of red and possibly silver suddenly came from somewhere off to her left, right out of the very corner of her eye, before it vanished just as quickly as it had materialized. Her hands paused and she turned her head to look for it, finding nothing on closer inspection, only the trees and the city and the mountain range. Nothing new. But she could've sworn she saw something between the gaps of the treetops, like the starting glint from a fire; the first flicker born from a match scraping against a matchbox.

Another moment passed and she shrugged it off entirely, moving her attention back towards the landscape. She only allowed herself a few more seconds before she turned, climbing back down the metal stairs and making a beeline for the long-grasses, spiriting back towards the dormitories before anyone woke up and found her gone.

She would be back again the next morning, and the one after that, more bits of hatred for herself piling onto what she already had. She hated herself for going to The Wall alone, keeping it a secret from her family and even her friends. But this little piece of freedom was hers, to keep close to her heart when it was late into the night and she felt alone. This was something _no one_ could take away from her.

And she would continue to do it—continue to sit and stare out from her perch on the edge of the concrete wall she hated and adored so much, beguiled by the world beyond her world.

Kagome would do it, hating herself a little more each time.


	2. The wall

_**Summary:** [AU] To put it simply: the world is in chaos. What else is new? Demons run amuck and the humans hide in fear behind a wall made of concrete re-enforced with a miko barrier. Kagome feels lost in a sea of people. But when she's taken hostage by a rouge half-demon with moon-kissed hair and a molten gaze, she finds a cause worth fighting for and a home in the most unlikely of places_

_**_WorldsBestBetaReader:_**_Yourgoldeneyes__

**_AN: _**_Hey guys! I hope everyone had an amazing week or weekend(depending on when your reading this.) I can't believe all the wonderful reviews I received on the __Prologue. You guys really know how to boost a girls ego. Keep it up. Seriously. Don't feel shy ;)  
><em>

_This first chapter I had to pry from the recesses of my brain (really it wasn't easy) It just **did not **want to be written. Thankfully, everything else has been easier to write but this one was particularly stubborn and, to be honest, I'm not to pleased with it. I'm actually afraid you guys won't like it. Oh well. I gotta try, don't I?_

**_A little Inuyasha history/facts:_**

_For this story I really wanted to use all the Inuyasha characters I could find and any small details that could be used to my advantage. As a result, I'm forced to explain a few things before we start (or you could ignore me and skip on ahead and be confused. Please. Do go ahead.) There might not be one for each chapter, but here is the small list for this chapter that needs a little explaining._

**_Kagewaki Hitomi: _**_If you've watched the anime, this is the first face of Naraku we see. I'm not too sure about the Manga (its been some time since I've read it and my facts are a little fuzzy.) He's the young son of a daimyō. Needing a cover while he goes to the demon slayer village to steal their jewel shards, Naraku possesses him and then tricks Sango into thinking Inuyasha killed her clan._

_**Kusarigama (鎖鎌), meaning "chain-sickle: **A traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a kama (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle) on a metal chain (kusari) with a heavy iron weight (fundo) at the end. It is the weapon we see Kohaku wielding. The sickle of Kohaku's weapon is made of demon bone, either shaped into, or crafted from a single piece of bone that makes up the handle and blade._

**_Song inspiration for this chapter: _**_Walls-Courrier (appropriate song dontcha think?) _

* * *

><p><em><em><strong>This Shining Armor Of Mine<strong>__

**Chapter 1. The Wall  
><strong>

Breathe, deep breath.

Notch. Hold. Release.

Notch. Hold. Release.

Breathe, deep breath.

Notch. Hold. Smirk. Release.

Rhythm, she decided, reaching over her shoulder and fingering another arrow in her laden quiver. It was all about rhythm.

Kagome backed up a few paces, eyed her target, rightened her stance and dug in the heels of her boots. Notching the silver tipped arrow into the comforting tension of the tightly bound bowstring with a swift flick of the hand, she brought back her dominant hand and the anchor of the arrow, leveling both arms and knobby elbows. Took a quick breath with a pursing of her lips. Fired.

The arrow released with a swift _whoosh _through the deadly silent air and pierced into the dummy with a satisfying _thwack! _

She lowered her arm slowly, silently observing her handiwork. As expected, she hadn't missed a single target. Not that the dummies placed before her were a _true_ test of her power. Rather, they were merely a simple warmup; one that was no longer as taxing as it used to be, when she a was a young, naive girl in the very beginnings of her training.

A light above her flickered, a lone light in the otherwise darkened gym. She'd opened one of the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the far side of the gym and chilly morning air wafted inside, cooling the sweat beading down the back of her neck, causing her shirt to cling onto her clammy skin.

The sound of the old gym door creaking open on rusted hinges suddenly reached her ears, followed by the dull thudding of heavy footfalls on the worn floorboards. She felt his eyes on her back.

"Already at it, ay, Higurashi?"

Kagome didn't turn to acknowledge him, just smirked to herself. She needn't turn and drop her upper shoulders and neck into a smooth, submissive bow as was usual. The morning bell had yet to ring, meaning she was still off the clock. A quick glance out the window told her that she'd been in the gym for some time—the sky was still dark but the sun was beginning to light the skyline—but still. She wasn't on duty.

"Always working hard for the cause, Captain," she replied smartly. She heard the smooth roll of his laugh and her smirk broadened.

"I can see that," a grin was evident in his tone. "But why aren't you out in the fields? Isn't that your usual 'secret' training grounds? Where you spend any and all of your free time?"

Kagome whirled around so fast it pained the base of her neck, blinking rapidly behind her swaying bangs in both surprise and worry. _"Does he know? Does he know I've been out to The Wall? Or does he only think I've been training in the outer fields without permission?"_

Hitomi leaned against the bare wall next to the gym door, reclining with one foot resting over the other, arms folded, mouth screwed up in amusement. His eyes were laughing at her. He was taunting her. He didn't know.

Kagome released a relieved breath.

"What?" He asked. "Didn't think anyone noticed you going missing at the crack of dawn? Or saw the dark bags underneath your eyes?" He pushed off the wall, giving her a playfully wounded look. "I'm hurt, Higurashi, that you think so little of me."

Kagome hesitated, trying to decided how to go about lying to him in the best way possible. "I-I didn't think—I mean no one….How-how did you…?"

The young man shrugged causally, waltzing over to her side and grabbing his preferred method of rebel slaying: his Kusarigama.

"I've known you since you were twelve," he chuckled, wrapping the kusarigama chain around his left wrist and clutching the weighted handle in his right, the bone smooth and comforting underneath his callused fingertips. "Despite being the best of my cadets you're not very sneaky."

"I've gotten away with it so far," Kagome pointed out, nudging his side. "You're the first to notice."

He grinned at her reasoning, swiping his razor sharp weapon at Kagome's dummy, still impaled with several sets of practice arrows. "Maybe I'm just extra vigilant."

Kagome snorted softly, rolling her eyes and turning to place the longbow back on the rack of demon slaying weapons lining the wall.

"I hope so, for our sakes if nothing else. It'd be really sad if even a _captain of Aramitama,_" she stressed,"didn't even notice when one of his pupils sneaks out into the fields for extra practice."

She clucked her tongue at his faux disgrace and Hitomi turned around to study her quietly. Kagome stacked her bow next to the others, and began to unwrap the three-fingered glove she always wore on her right was threadbare now, the leather was worn down at the joints. And despite numerous other people, cadets and a few captains, telling her she should get a new one, Kagome always refused.

"_It's more sentimental then anything," _she'd say while staring down at it lovingly.

His eyes wandered over to her latest practice run. The dummy's—seven in total—were all pierced through the heart with one of her arrows. He could see were she'd stopped going for the heart and started aiming for where the eyes were, or the jugular. All of it was more then impressive.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Never miss, do you?"

"I do my best, Captain," she replied automatically, glancing over her shoulder, hair swaying attractively from it high ponytail. She wrinkled her nose at him.

"And so modest," he teased, putting his weapon back where it belonged.

Unlike all of his other slightly childish (albeit irreplaceable on the field) cadets, Hitomi had a soft spot for Kagome. When she'd come to the dormitories six-and-a-half years ago, she'd been nothing but a bundle of nerves and quivering limbs. Her eyes, a blue-grey combination that always had him staring, had appeared owlish and frantically searching her surroundings as if a demon was going to pop out at any second and gobble her whole.

Now she stood before him a grown woman, strong and powerful—unafraid, comfortable in her own skin.

He still remembered the first time he'd been caught a glimpse of her powers. At the time he'd been fifteen, a mere cadet working his way through the ranks, and she'd been the new secret weapon recruited to the Aramitama division that all the 'higher ups' were fussing and gossiping about.

He'd never seen anything like her.

Hitomi forcefully tore himself out of his thoughts, gesturing with his head at her returned longbow. "Too bad we have to go out and patrol The Wall today or else I'd tell you to go out to the Square for some practice without all those other knuckle-heads bothering you. I know how you like your quiet."

'Knuckle-heads' meaning the other cadets. Kagome stiffened somewhat at the mention of The Wall. She hid the emotion well by quirking her moth to the side and nodding. "Yeah."

The square was a large arena in which cadets and other trainees could get some exercise outdoors— practice in more authentic situations to the kind they would face once they left the safety of The Wall.

The walls of the dormitories had been too confining for Kagome when she'd first arrived. The select men and women in charge at the time (the Ten Captains heading Aramitama) had treated her like some kind of precious gem, but acted as though they had no idea how to contain the power such a little girl possessed. They gave her anything she desired, but kept their distance, never knowing how to act around someone so strong and yet so young.

She'd been an outcast for the longest of time. Still was, if she truly thought about it.

It wasn't until Hitomi had taken her under his wing when he'd made Captain that he let her roam outside in the Square when she practiced her archery and her miko skills. The first time she'd been let out she'd flown away like a caged bird, soaking up all the time allotted to practice, honing in on her skills, even after hours and all of her other classmates were enjoying their downtime.

All that he asked of her in return?

_A then sixteen-year-old Hitomi had placed a heavy hand on her little twelve year old shoulder, grinning proudly, as if she'd done something to be proud of already. "Kick some ass on the battle field." _

_She'd nodded her head frantically, wanting to do good, wanting to make him and her family proud. "I-I will, sir!" _

Hitomi suddenly stretched his hands above his head, arching his back. Kagome tried to look away as causally as possible but failed miserably, staring at his muscles as they bunched and then flexed underneath his blemish free skin. He wore only a sleeveless shirt and baggy pants, loose and flowing around his legs.

"_Odd," _Kagome thought, nibbling the inside of her cheek. _"I've never seen him out of his uniform or training getup before." _

His waist length brown hair was tied into a hasty knot on the crown of his head, displaying his long neck and smooth collarbone. He turned his head slightly to the side, and her eyes trailed over his sharp jawline and distinct profile.

It wasn't the first time she'd stopped to study him (Kami only knew how many time's she'd watched him when she was younger and was easily impressed upon) but this was different. He was man now, a powerful man at that, and she…she was a woman. Right? Who _wouldn't _stare?

"Well," Hitomi cleared his throat and Kagome flushed, looking anywhere in the stale smelling gym that _wasn't _his face.

"We better get going. The bell is going to ring soon and you need to changed out of…_that," _he waved his hand in her general direction and Kagome assumed he was taking about her black shorts and tank-top. "And into your uniform."

Kagome glanced down at herself and felt both cheeks heat up in undeniable embarrassment. "R-right," she stammered, tugging nervously on the hem of the shorts. She stared down at her feet.

"You hungry?" He asked as if nothing was different, the reserved expression he usually wore back on his face, moving for the door. "I bet we can snatch some of the good food from the pit before anyone else wakes up."

Kagome lifted her head at his coaxing tone. He waggled his eyebrows. Kagome laughed and the marry sound bounced off the wooden floors of the wide room. The young captain smiled softly at her as Kagome slipped underneath the arm he used to keep the door propped open, and together they walked down to the pit, laughing and flinging good-natured insults at one another while the sun stretched its legs and lit the whole world ablaze.

XxX

The Fifty-year-war had taken much and left behind very little. It had ushered in a void of destruction that spanned decades, razing the world like an unforgiving farm plow.

The demons of the world, the bad and even the good, became tired of being second rate to humans. They were often seen as nothing more than a bother at most—whipping posts at worst. Sometimes humans would even keep them as pets or slaves. No one bat an eye about it. And as long as the humans didn't purify them, the demons didn't dare speak out.

They were always second, barely having any rights and living in constant poverty. It was just how it was.

Yet after centuries of being treated as nothing more than common nuisances, denied any and all privileges, they decided to take fate into their claws. But in secret the demons began building up armies for centuries, forming clans and secret societies while the humans went along with their daily lives unsuspecting. They grew stronger, trained hard, used their cunning instincts, and waited for the right time to strike.

And strike they did.

With the sheer power measly humans couldn't possibly ever comprehend, they launched the first of their assaults on the outer edges of most major cities and worked in like a tidal wave of devastation and absolute ruin. They used brute strength, blood-borne agility and other such skills to carry out their carefully planed attacks. Those who could fly came from the sky. Those who lived in water scaled to shore. Others simply transported themselves, and most did to garner their revenge. They hit the ground running and they hit _hard._

Those were the worst years…or so Kagome had been told. No one had been safe. The _world_ wasn't safe. Many died. Mortals barely stood a chance. If the demons didn't kill them off then the elements would. If you didn't know how survive in the wilderness, you didn't. No one was there to reach out a helping hand. All for one and more for themselves became everyones motto.

Despite the staggeringly terrible odds, humans did fight back with a persistence that is second-nature in their species, using their knowledge to exterminate some of the demons. After forty some-odd years of struggling to keep themselves alive, the people of Kagome's country finally pushed the demon hordes back, and held them at bay long enough to create a wall around a newly established city built over the ruins of a previous one. A wall was erected, reinforced with a barrier of strong miko power that kept the beasts out while protecting the humans within.

All other communication with the outside world was lost then, like a disconnected telephone line, and the country hurtled into a period where time sat still. The demons reigned the outside world while the humans trembled behind a shield they fittingly entitled 'The Wall.' They made do with what they had and didn't complain about it.

Kagome supposed, then, that was the reason behind why the dormitories were located in (what looked like) an old industrial storage facility. There wasn't anywhere else to put them.

The cadets sleeping quarters were located on the main floor, in two large rooms, separated by only a handful of feet from one another, with the bathroom down the hall. The captains domain was located on the upper levels, both two and three. The gym was in a large space with brick walls and large windows. Metal and hardware seemed to be the running theme.

Kagome stepped underneath a low hanging rail, stalking down the hall to the girls room. It wasn't much, nothing more then a large space with mismatched cots scattered sporadically throughout. But with no limitations on adorning their individual spaces, some girls had taken it upon themselves to decorate with little trinkets found when they were allowed into the city on small excursions; wisps of silks were draped over some girls spaces. Others used cheep rugs or colorful blankets and pillows.

Kagome's spot was bare.

Eri's space—

"Kagome! _There_ you are, I've been looking everywhere!"

—Eri's space was the most colorful and gaudy.

Kagome hid a wince and turned just in time to have a girl throw herself into her arms, plastering her face into Kagomes sweaty neck and wrapping her arms around her in a squeezing hold that would've made a homicidal snake proud.

Kagome nearly toppled over from the force and the squeezing, stumbling on her feet."W-wha—?"

"I didn't know where you went and everyone was _so_ worried! Well...maybe _I_ was the only one who was worried. Still...where where you? I woke up and you were gone again. I asked Hojo where you'd went but he didn't know either and I—."

"Eri," Kagome interrupted, gently prying the girl away. "You're going a mile a minuet again. I can't understand a word you're saying."

Eri's large brown eyes, dramatically watery, fluttered underneath lashes Kagome was always envious of. "I'm sorry. I was just so worried. I thought a demon had caught you."

Kagome snorted and shuffled over to her cot, yanking off her boots and reaching for her standard issue, form fitting trousers, knowing she didn't have enough time to slip down to the showers and wash off the now dried sweat on her skin before changing.

"You know a demon can't get in here. Not with the barrier going. And why would one come just for me but leave everyone else unharmed?" Kagome snorted again, imaging a gigantic demon tiptoeing his way through their city, rubbing his clawed hands together in absolute glee, just to whisk her away to some undisclosed location. The mental image completely ludicrous.

"Yea, but still." Eri said, slid down onto her pink bedding, a blinding comparison to her own beige bedding.

Kagome smiled at her longtime friend, slipping into a button up jacket the color of the midnight sky. Silver buttons in a neat row of two reached the very base of her throat which she buttoned with nimble fingers. Eri stood up and helped her straighten out the two silver insignia on each of her shoulders. A small identification tag stitched to her lapel with her placement and rank glittered proudly underneath the dorm-room lights, reading a simple _Cadet. __Higurashi K. _Eri and every other cadet wore an identical uniform.

"Hair," Eri pointed out, nodding toward the dark strands which were starting to escape the up-do Kagome had combed them into earlier.

"Thanks." She grabbed a wooden brush from the small stand next to her and Eri's bed, which they shared. She pulled at the band containing the strands, allowing her hair to unfurl down her back.

Eri slipped over her bed and grabbed the delicate handheld mirror she kept in a trunk stuffed underneath her cot. She smiled flirtatiously at her reflection, pinching her cheeks to give them color and fluffing her collarbone length hair. Kagome rolled her eyes at the display, grinning while she brushed out her own hair.

"I've never known anyone more vain," she muttered playfully.

Eri's eyes slipped to hers in the mirrors glossy reflection. "I have to look my best today. Who _knows _who we'll see. All the young men working The Wall must be very lonely." She winked flamboyantly. "_Very lonely. _If you catch my drift."

"I think the ceiling tiles caught your drift, Eri," Kagome said, grinning.

"Well its true. These young men haven't seen a new face—a _pretty _new face—since last year, when the previous cadets were put on rotation. And who know's who we'll meet. You want to look your best today."

Kagome was about to respond by telling her that looks _weren't_ everything and that it was what was on the inside that counted, when her eyes caught another cadet that was heading to The Wall that day. She was fluffing her hair much like Eri's peacock display, bitting on her lip so it bled red and was a bit swollen and full. Another girl was putting on perfume; a luxury most couldn't afford. Another girl was straightening her uniform.

So instead of saying anything Kagome dropped back down onto her bed and took a little more time to slick back her hair and chew on her lip. _"If you can't beat 'em," _was her logic. She saw Eri smirk at her knowingly before turning back to her reflection.

Making sure all ladies were indeed dressed, Hitomi suddenly poked his head into the girls room. His wavy hair was in a low tail now, swinging against the lowest part of his back. He smiled when Kagome glanced his way.

"Five minuets ladies. I don't plan on being late today," he warned before disappearing as fast as he'd come.

Eri put the mirror back and then clapped her hands, squealing in delight. "Lets go. I can't wait anymore!"

Kagome made a show of being slightly annoyed while Eri hurried them out of the room. But secretly she was just as excited, if not more. This was the day they'd been waiting for ever since they first joined Aramitama as little children, with every possibility laid out before them.

They were finally going to see part of the uncharted land outside of The Wall. Kagome's heart did a weird flutter at the thought, stepping out of the girls dorm with Eri at her side.

There were thirteen graduating cadets in total, eight males and five females. Kagome and Eri stepped in line with the rest of their group, lingering in the hallway separating the boys room from the girls. A last figure stepped out of the boys room and Kagome did a double take when she saw that it was none other than Hojo, all polished buttons, slick hair and cool facade.

"Wow," she heard herself mutter.

Despite being one of the worst cadets in their group, Hojo filled out the uniform rather nicely. And he appeared to be wearing it with pride.

"He looks good," Eri commented idly while looping her arm through Kagome's and clutching her free hand, gazing at him unabashedly.

Hojo glanced up from fiddling with his jacket buttons, his expression lighting up at seeing Kagome. "Hey."

"Hello Hojo," Kagome replied with a smile, pretending she didn't notice the way Eri had suddenly gone quiet (a first) and had begun to squeeze her hand. "How're you today?"

"Good. I'm good. You...you look good." He flushed, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean you both look good. Hello by the way," He said to Eri, as if she'd just arrived.

Eri wiggled her fingers at him, but kept her eye on Kagome to gauge her friends reaction. "Hey."

Kagome smiled and lowered her head, a bit bashful. "Thank you."

Hitomi stepped down the metal staircase leading from the second floor to the first, looking pristine in a black cape that fluttered against his ankles as he moved, and a jacket with gold buttons and gold epaulettes which told the world of his high rank.

Once his booted foot reached the last step, he clasped his hands behind his back, straightened his spine and narrowed his eyes. All of the cadets filed into line, girls in the front, boys in the back, shoulder shoulder. Kagome bit her lip to keep from smiling. A few cadets still in training poked their heads out into the hall staring with wide and curious eyes at the graduating class.

"Today is the day I have fought, bled and and sacrificed time and energy for; today is the day _you _have fought, bled and sacrificed time and energy for," Hitomi began when they quieted, speaking grandly, sweeping his eyes from one cadet to the next. When he reached Kagome he smirked somewhat, a brief blip in his other wise serious gaze.

"Do not forget your time spent here, do not forget one single moment of it," He continued, pacing up an down the length of his pupils, his voice like a knife; sharp and edgy. "Because you will need every second of it out there, out in the real world. Behind this wall? This city? It won't matter once you step foot out there. No demon, rouge or otherwise, will care. Never forget who you are. Never forget the reason you decided to fight the rebels, the _demons. _

"And most importantly," he stopped, pausing right before Kagome, his eyes boring into her own. In that moment he wasn't her longtime friend, or a guy she got flustered around. No, he was so much more. He was her teacher, her confidant, the instructor who taught her so much more then just staying alive. In that moment he was her awe inspiring Captain. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Never," he muttered, all cadets leaning in to catch his every breath. "Forget to be fearless."

XxX

The heavy snow of winter had only melted fully a few weeks prior. Everything was damp still, lawns remaining brown and dull and recovering.

After trampling through waterlogged grasses and over a flooded bridge, the graduating class was led to The wall. They marched down a gravel lined road in rows of two. Kagome tried to keep her head level, eyes focused and forward and a bit detached.

_"Seem to excited and they'll think you naive," _she told herself, fisting her hands by her sides. _"Don't seem excited enough and they might get suspicious."_

Their group continued on, tromping over the rolling lands until they finally reached it. Shoulder to shoulder, gaping in awe, The Wall stood before them, stoic and unyielding as ever. Everyone had to tilt their heads up to see all of it.

Two soldiers stood at the gate, weapons in pair of hands, swards at their hips. Red insignia were on both of their shoulders, letting Kagome know they were nothing more then ordinary soldiers.

Hitomi led them to the gate where a few of them were instructed to go with the two men while the rest were to follow them. The group was then split up the more they went. Some went further down the wall to other gates. Kagome and Hojo were stationed at tower number two, while Eri and Captain Hitomi were to stand guard at the first.

The shocks weren't as noticeable today as they were most other days—barely a tinge of a feeling when they'd passed over the bridge and came to stand before it. But the closer Kagome drew, the stronger the pull became. Minor zaps began at her fingertips, then spread through to her hands, her palms, then wrists.

"Is Captain Tsubaki away today, sir?" Kagome asked Hitomi politely, reverting to using his proper title while her friends were present.

They climbed a metal staircase identical to the one Kagome used. Frequently. She hid a smile when her hand wrapped around the cool metal, the feeling comforting and not at all foreign.

Hitomi glanced over his shoulder, one brow raised in curiosity, mouth hiding a barely veiled smirk at hearing her forced to use his appropriate captains title.

"She is. The chief called her away for some kind of business." He sounded vaguely surprised she knew that. "How did you...?"

Kagome shrugged, lowering her head to make it look as if she were watching her step. She grinned. "Just a good guess, sir."

She could definitely feel it now, and knew Tsubaki must not be at the barrier today, reinforcing it with her renowned power as she did most days. Without her there, there was a substantial lacking in the dominant sway that The Wall's barrier-field normally had. The barrier was substantially smaller—far less noticeable to Kagome and, as always, completely nonexistent to the others.

Tsubaki was one of the ten captains of Aramitama, a woman Kagome had only met once when she was first brought to the barracks, and someone she wasn't in a hurry to meet again anytime soon.

Kagome could see her so clearly now, in her own mind. Cold, distant—a tad egocentric if anything.

_"_This _is her?" _Kagome remembered the woman saying, tone nasal and underwhelmed at the twelve-year-old presented to her.

_Kagome had stood there, tiny hands clenching and clenching nervously at her sides. Her hair (shorter at the time) partially covering her expressive, almond shaped eyes. She tried to appear confident. She tucked in her hammy down shirt into her pants, caked in crusty mud on the bottom hem. She lifted her chin, wanting to be anyone else, pretending_ _she _was _anyone else._

She_ wanted this woman to like her._

_"Y-yes, Captain," a fidgety cadet stuttered. _

_He'd been tasked with looking out for the little girl until she reached the dorm. They'd been 'lucky' enough to stumble into the pretentious captain and she'd wanted a look at their new 'secret __weapon.' _

_The captains steely indigo eyes flashed in offense, then narrowed viciously. She lifted her chin, blood red mouth set; a vexed snake. "What have I told you? _Never _address me by such a common label, you impotent wretch." _

_The young man had lowered his neck submissively, eye catching Kagome's innocent gaze, silently telling her to do the same. She did. _

_"Y-yes M-Mistress," he replied, stammering while clenching his teeth at the same time. _

_The woman had remind silent for a few moments. Then, "Bring the girl to me when she is of _real _value." She clucked her tongue, running manicured fingers through silky grey-white hair that adorned her head._

_She took one more dull glance at Kagome. "The poor little thing is so plain. She'll never know what its like to truly be young and beautiful._

_"Oh well," she sighed dramatically, as if that were the most tragic thing she'd ever heard. And with that she disappeared down the corridor in a whirl of elaborate robes and the distinct clicking of her heels. _

_The small, newborn miko stood in the elder miko's wake, worrying on her lip and blinking back tears which had invaded her milky blue-grey eyes. She hadn't done a good job, she thought. She hadn't impressed her. _

_ The male cadet by her side finally released a fist that he had balled his fingers into halfway through the woman's small tirade, as if it were all he could do to keep himself from hauling off and punching her. _

Kagome resurfaced from the memory she'd placed away long ago, blinking as they reached top of the stairs. Eri and Hojo both sat in shock and awe, jaws nearly hitting the ground.

"I...I'd heard stories but I never expected something like _this,_" Eri breathed, advancing until all of her rested against the wall, staring. Staring.

Hojo remained unmoving."Me neither."

The world was wide awake in front of them, blossoming beautifully after the harsh winter, as if it knew it had someone to impress. The trees were green—neon, almost. The deadened city was quiet, as always. The mountain in the back ever stoic and unyielding. Flowers had seemingly sprung up over night. Trees, the likes of which Kagom head never encountered before, were blooming in grand splendor, in clusters that immediately snagged her eye.

Her captain stepped up to her side.

"Cherry blossoms," Hitomi explained when he saw her line of vision. "My mother told me about them when I was a child. She said her grandparents had a few planted in their yard when she was younger. Talked about them all the time. She said they were really well known pre-war. But with all the demons wreaking havoc, they destroyed most of them, along with a lot of others..."

Kagome greedily took in a lungful of fresh spring air, and smiled. "They're beautiful."

Hitomi glanced at her with only his eyes, keeping his face forward. "Yes," he reiterated, voice soulful and stirring. "Beautiful."

The tone of his voice is what caught her, and Kagome turned toward him curiously, eyelashes fluttering over her cheekbones.

They stood there, in a quiet no one dared interrupt, two souls suddenly realizing they were on the cusp of something much much bigger then themselves.

Hitomi took a step forward, hand outstretched toward her face. Kagome flushed, leaned in—

"Kagome," Eri called. "You've gotta see this. It's amazing!"

They jumped apart. Hitomi was the one to walk away first, darting toward the first watch tower with a flap of his cape. Kagome swallowed, watched his back as he went, and then joined her two friends by the edge of the stone wall.

She pretend she was just like her two friends, if only for a blissful but brief moment, looking out at the secret filled planet displayed in front of them, her heart a jumble of thoughts and questions with no answers for any of them.

She placed her boot up against the stone structure, leaning on the weight of that leg and, for the first time in her life, resented The Wall with all of her might.

It wasn't _just _the wall that made her mouth twist in bitterness. But all of it, what it represented. She hated the demons. She hated The Wall. She _loathed _the war and everything it had ruined. Had it not been for the rebellion, Kami only knew where life might've taken her. She might've been normal, maybe even noticeable to some.

Maybe she would've had a batter sense of humor, instead of a well trained eye for tracking a kill and using a bow and arrow to decapitate demons. Maybe she would've had a bunch of friends, and a good home life.

Maybe she would've fallen in love...possibly with Hitomi, in some other time, some other place.

The urge to run free in the world not yet explored coursed through her veins hot enough she was afraid her fingers were going to burn right off.

She didn't want to merely view this from far away. Kagome wanted to be there, right in the middle of everything. To smell the scent of the earth firsthand, instead of on the back of the breeze that whispered her way. She wanted to drink crisp water from a stream, and smell the blossoms on a cherry blossom, not just imagine it. She craved the feeling of freedom.

She didn't know why, didn't know what it was exactly, but something was calling her there, and had been all along.

**_Kagome_ **it whispered, an invisible finger beckoning her forward. **_Kagome._**

And for some unexplainable reason, one that wouldn't become clear for years to come, she suddenly knew that she had every intention of listening, of obeying the call.

She would see this world for herself, without barriers, without rules, without limitations. Enough was enough. She would find a way. Kagome would.

Even if it were the very last thing she did.


	3. The Newest Captain

_**_WorldsBestBetaReader:_**_Yourgoldeneyes__

**_AN: _**_Hello all! I hope everyone had an awesome Halloween. I watched Hocus Pocus on repeat (in fact I'm watching it as I write this.) Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a bit shorter than I'd like, and a bit..filler-ish, and not poetic like I'd hope. But it's needed to continue on to the fun stuff. If you're a bit confused at the beginning, don't worry. It'll become clearer in the upcoming chapters.__  
><em>

_Also, from now on I want to start thanking my reviewers personally so that you know I do see what you're saying and because, without any of you, I wouldn't have as much drive and passion for writing as I do now. So thank you! _

**_Wall-Of-Thanks: _**

_IndigoArcher89, KayDragonide, anime4evea222, BlueberryPancake, Larissa, Closet Lover, hon-kyogen, and any and all of my guests. You little cupcakes rock! _

**_A little Inuyasha history/facts:_**

**Nori:** Many Asian foods call for the use of nori, a type of edible seaweed which is dried or toasted, and often sold in sheets. It has been consumed in Japan and China for centuries, and is an important part of Japanese cuisine especially. Most Western consumers are familiar with nori because it is used to wrap sushi, although the distinctive salty, slightly grassy flavor is also delicious eaten plain as well.

**Bean paste: **Bean paste, or bean sauce, varies in color, texture, and composition and is a popular ingredient in many dishes in Asian cuisines. Some common varieties of include miso, and red, yellow, brown, and black bean pastes.

**_Song inspiration for this chapter: _**_Time (inception)__—Hans Zimmer_

* * *

><p><em><em><strong>This Shining Armor Of Mine<strong>__

**Chapter 2. The Newest Captain  
><strong>

The dark was a gift most nights. It served as a cloak for those who wished to remain unseen. It was silent, allowing him to hear better, farther. Others used the night like a weapon, attacking and preying on the weak in surroundings that overwhelmed their senses.

Tonight was one of _those _kinds of nights.

He'd been watching this particular band of miscreants for some time, had kept tabs on them ever since he'd been 'dispatched' for his 'special mission.'

_"Keh." _Special mission his ass. As if.

He raised his head over a low hanging branch, pressing his back into the thick tree trunk, peering through the leaves with a sharp narrowing of his eyes and dilating pupils. The clearing blow him played a scene that was one most unpleasant; bodies strewn everywhere, heals, gaping holes in places there shouldn't, the stench of death causing the night air to reek.

"Punny little human," the big one sneered in a voice border-lined on animalistic, raising the dangling, choking human up by his throat. "Where is it?"

The man gurgled, eyes bulging like a squeeze toy, clawing ineffectually at the large, blue hand holding him by the jugular. His feet dangled, swaying morosely underneath himself.

"_Cowards," _he thought with a sneering twist of his lips, hand automatically going to the rustic sword at his hip in habit. Calloused fingertips scraped against the worn hilt, itching to fight. _"Damned fools, the lot of them."_

The small horde of demons had finally made their move earlier that evening, advancing toward the Wall, yet staying away far enough so that the barrier surrounding it wouldn't purify them into oblivion. If it weren't for the need to keep his presence hidden he would've intervened by now. But he couldn't, so he didn't. Instead, he'd watched the foolishly guided field agents of Aramitama head out into the darkness to defend their 'precious' city, only to be attacked by the demons who had lain in wake and pounced at the first chance they got.

The demons had killed all but a select few, decapitating most so their claws were stained crimson, allowing the bodies to simply drop lifelessly to the forest floor.

He'd been a few miles away, heading in the opposite direction when the mens screams had attracted his attention. The horrid, _horrid, _screaming.

Their captain and a few of his best field agents were the only ones left now—information providers, momentary playthings. Prey.

A group of twenty-odd demons surrounded them, in a circle raging of palpable bloodlust and violence. Even he could feel it, all the way up in his treetop viewpoint. It was like a tidal wave of aggression and his worse half snarled in the back of his mind, agreeing with every abhorrent action they were taking. After years of practice and self restraint he shut the voice out, and turned his ears to listen instead.

The blue one, the leader and an ogre by the looks of him, grew impatient when the suffocating captain didn't answer his question. He shook the human as the rest of the field agents watched on in horror. The mans head lolled around unnaturally. "WHERE IS IT?!"

The captain opened his slightly swollen eyes, blue faced, and croaked out, "...wheres...what? W-what...do y-you want?"

The ogre demon squeezed a bit tighter, snarling. "The jewel. _WHERE IS THE JEWEL!" _He raged, tilting his bloodstained chin to the sky and howling in a universal langue, one that the half-man hidden behind the branches of the tree understood and shivered at.

"I...don't know..I-I don't know what—."

"You do!" The demon screamed, going nose to nose with the human male. "Don't lie to me! You're a captain, and all captains know where it is."

"No," he murmured, fading away. "It's...a secret. She's a secret."

That made the man in the tree take brief pause, ears tweaking, brow raising in keen interest. _"She?" _He thought, wondering at and mentally saving this new pice of information.

"What does he mean by that?" A reptilian demon asked with a slithering tongue, stepping forward.

"Come on Yakunan," another minion groused, eyeing a nearby agent with hungry eyes. "Just squeeze the information out of him. If you won't, I will."

The ogre demon, appropriately named Yakunan, sneered, turning back to the man in his deathly grip. "Where is she? _Who _is she?"

The Captain turned his gaze to his men, nodding once sharply, covering courage and strength though a mere look. And when he turned back to his aggressor a newly restored anger burned behind his eyes. "I...I'll never tell. You won't _ever _see the jewel, you abominable fiends."

The night air was silent, and the demon in the tree held his breath, hoping they wouldn't notice his presence. The only reason he figured they hadn't yet was because the wind hadn't shifted in their favor, and because the pungent scent of blood was so raw. His eyes even began to water when the putrid scent wafted into his nose.

Yakunan's eyes flared, and he bared his fangs to the human man. "Then I guess your use has run out, hasn't it?" The demon finished with a crude snarl, squeezing his clawed hand just a bit more and crushed the poor mans windpipe, instantly killing him. Blood ran down the ogre demons wrists and arms in crimson ribbons. Yakunan threw the captains corpse to the ground with a dissatisfied grunt.

"You fucking demons! How dare you?!" One agent screamed in pure fury, his hand flying to the gun on the belt clipped to his hip.

Yakunan seemed to ignore the mans outburst, his black, soulless eyes staring down expressionlessly at the captains dead body. When the ogre demon turned his attention on him, however, the man stiffened viably, seemingly loosing his rage.

"I've forgotten myself," the demon announced to his surrounding comrades. They hissed and sneered in return. "Subordinates," he grinned, bloodstained fangs glowing in the dim moonlight, "should never outlive their superiors."

The man in the tree watched as Yakunan advanced, a mere blur to superb eyes even like his own. It was over before the human agent had time to react. The body slumped to the knees and then collapsed in a pool of blood with a large, grotesque hole where the heart should have been; the vital organ now resting in Yakunans palm.

The other agents, now petrified, took no hesitation, running for their lives and the safety of The Wall and city. The man in the tree, watching the tragedy unfold helplessly, heard the ogre demon utter with a pleased voice,"There will be no survivors this night." The demons exchanged collectively sinful glances, then scampered off after the fleeing men, like rabid dogs hunting the stag.

Yakunan was the only one left in the clearing, peered down at the dead heart clenched between his claws. And then—

—then his eyes were directly on the half-demon perched in the tree, as if he'd known he'd been there all along, pinning him to his 'hiding spot' with a cock-sure expression. Golden eyes widened in a concoction of fear and disbelief. The ogre demons fangs reappeared with another smirk.

_"Shit," _he thought, shifting anxiously, hackles rising in defense. His inner demon snarled. _"Shit!" _

And then Inuyasha was gone, taking off through the treetops with a flock of large blackbirds that also took flight, flanking him. The sun was just beginning to brighten the sky to the east and he headed in that direction, sick of the darkness, sick of the silence, sick of the cloak of nothingness covering the world.

His chest heaved with a large breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as he ran—ran so hard his feet became numb after striking so many rough branches. Finally he leapt down from the last of the trees, sprinting off into the darkness of the forest.

If someone was lucky, and happened to glance in his direction at the precise moment, they might've seen a streak of crimson from his odd clothing, a flash of his silver hair.

And then nothing. A blink and a breath and he'd be gone.

The odd ears on his head pricked when a far off sound, originating from the direction he'd come, reached his sharp senses. He growled lowly in the deepest part of his throat, heading toward the eastern side of The Wall with a change of direction—well defined muscles rotating smoothly at the sudden alteration.

He didn't care, is what he told himself while his clawed toes and feet pounded unforgivingly into the soft earth. He didn't know those men; he _shouldn't _care. This was war_. _You win some, you lose some. Sacrifices must be made.

Yet when another loud, bloodcurdling sound greeted him, his ears pressed shamefully onto his head, trying to block it out. To ignore it. _"Anything," _he thought while the guilt slithered its way through his stomach like an unforgiving snake, grinding his jaw at the tormented sounds chasing after him like phantoms.

Anything to get away from it.

Anything to outrun the screaming.

* * *

><p>Kagome rolled out of bed (cot) with a pitiful groan, blinking sluggishly. Her head pounded fiercely, eyes tightly narrowed and sensitive to the morning light and fluorescent light fixtures in the ceiling, and her throat ached as is she'd swallowed sandpaper.<p>

"Wha…what happened?" She managed to stutter to no one in particular, blindly groping for her one of her boots.

A snort came from her left and her head quickly turned to meet the sound. The room spun from the too-quick action. Closing her eyes, Kagome groaned again when her stomach rolled, threatening her with the thought of vomiting.

"Good-morning sleeping beauty!" The voice seemingly shouted, causing Kagome to wince in physical pain. "And how are you on this lovely morning?"

Kagome slowly took a deep breath to try and calm the raging battle behind her temples, keeping her eyes shut for the time being. "Eri," she grunted quietly, her voice wavering and scratchy. "Please…stop…yelling."

Her friend laughed and a fresh wave of pounding sparked in her skull. "I'm not yelling." There was a pause and then another quick laugh. "I guess you can't hold your liquor very well."

Kagome scowled sleepily, slowly opening her eyes, vision bleary and distorted for a handful of long moments. When it cleared, she noted Eri sitting on her own bed, a few feet away, grinning deviously like Kagome's morning hangover was something hilarious.

"Liquor? What liquor? What happened last night?" Kagome wondered aloud, her hand finally bushing against one of her boots that had been kicked carelessly underneath her cot.

_"Strange,_" she thought. _"I always put my boots away at the foot of the bed." _

Now that she was more conscious, she _did _notice the girls dorm looked trashed, with solo cups strewn everywhere, some cots overturned, bedding on the floor, female clothing articles thrown in various…places.

Weird.

Eri just continued to grin, eyes alight with a knowledge she didn't currently possess, an annoying gesture to her hungover friend who remained clueless.

"Why don't we get you dressed first and pour a cup of coffee for that headache you clearly have and then I'll answer some of your questions." She hoped down from her bed, bouncy and excited. "Kay?"

Kagome grumbled but didn't argue, not really up to the herculean task at the moment. She shifted uneasily to grab her boot at the pace of a snail, squinting against the florescent lights and morning sunshine coming in from the windows near the ceiling, while Eri went and fetched its twin, which was lying some feet away. Her shirt was thrown over the bedside table and her pants were in a wadded up bundle underneath the cots bedding, as if she'd kicked them off during sleep.

Once dressed, and looking somewhat presentable, Eri guided Kagome down to the bathrooms, helping heir with her hair and daily facial wash.

Kagome moaned, gripping the edge of the porcelain sink when another bout of nausea hit. Her hands trembled.

"You're really not doing to hot, are you?" Eri inquired, leaning her shoulder against the wall in the doorway.

She shook her head sluggishly, breathless. Her mouth tasted like battery acid, and it burned when she tried to swallow. "No. But…I'll be alright. I just need a minute."

Cupping some ice cold water in her palms, Kagome splashed her face and rinsed out her mouth, hoping that would clear her head. She wiped her face with a towel, then threw it in the laundry basket and hobbled over to Eri who looped an arm around her shoulder for support.

Eri led her down a large hallway which connected the dorms to the Square and cafeteria which the cadets had dubbed the Pit. Kagome leaned heavily onto her shoulder, trying to get her feet to cooperate with her disarranged brain, feeling as though all of her organs had turned to much and were sloshing about in her abdomen.

"Hey! Higurashi!" A fellow agent in their squad suddenly called, racing down the corridor to catch up. Eri paused, forcing Kagome to a halt and wait for him. "You sure now how to party."

Kagome expression became even more muddled, her mouth thinning. "I do?"

The boy, Michi, nodded enthusiastically, smiling wide. "Sure do. The party was already pretty good, but when you showed up…" he trailed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Anyway I'll catch you later. I want to get my breakfast before all the good foods gone. See ya," and he was off, saluting cheekily while bounding away.

Kagome stared after him, blinking. Then, slowly, with her eye to the point of twitching, turned and glared accusingly at Eri.

"Can I help you?" The girl asked innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"Did he just say party?" Kagome ground out, not really wishing to know the answer.

"Yes," said Eri, sounding apprehensive. "Yes he did."

Kagome whimpered, clamping her eyes shut. "Oh no. There was a party last night…wasn't there?"

"Yes."

Kagome winced. "And I…was there?"

"Mmhmm."

"And I had…something to drink and blacked out?"

"Yep."

Kagome threw her hands up in the air, stepping away. "Well thats just great. I don't remember anything."

The girls began walking again, Eri shaking her head. "I'm not surprised. You did have a bottle and half of champagne."

Kagome scoffed and then immediately regretted it. Everything hurt, everything ached. And anytime she talked it felt as if her jaw would simply unhinge and fall to the corridor floor.

"Why didn't you stop me?" Kagome asked, rounding the last corner of the long hall and stepping into the Pit.

"How could I?" Eri answered, picking at her nail beds. "You were having so much fun."

The large cafeteria, with metal tables lining the room from one end to the other, was the center and hubbub of activity. Cadets and graduates bustled about, grabbing their breakfast and chatting away. The newer trainees (Fetuses, as they were called by superiors) sat towards the back. The elder cadets sat in the middle, and the grads sat at the very front, the loudest, the proudest, and the most rowdy.

The blinds for the windows near the ceiling hadn't been drawn yet, Kagome noted thankfully, and the room remained a bit darker, cozier. The only light came from the small, dim lights sconces on the walls.

But the collective din from the kitchens and conversations was booming, echoing loudly off the tables and walls. When the sound reached Kagome it was nearly a roar. She leaned her shoulder into the entrance momentarily, bracing herself and silently willing her terrible headache away.

They headed toward their table, near to the front, where Hojo and the rest of their class sat, eating and laughing.

"What.._happened _last night?" Kagome finally asked, nearly pleading.

She remembered her talk with Hitomi. She remembered their shift at the Wall. She remembered it being relatively tedious and dull. She remembered night falling and their shift ending, walking back to the dormitories with Hojo and Eri, glancing over her shoulder at the Wall wistfully. She remembered hearing talk of a celebratory party being thrown in honor of the new grads in a room on the captains floor and then…

Nothing. Her mind kept running into an annoying blank, therein which everything was a muddled blur.

Eri snorted as they rounded on their table, eyeing her a bit pityingly. "You mean before or after you put a lampshade on your head and wore it as a hat?"

With another groan Kagome collapsed into her seat, head dumped in the palms of her hands. "I'm ruined."

Hojo broke off his conversation with a few of his friends and turned to Kagome, seeing the dark circles underneath her abnormally lackluster eyes and her sunken appearance. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaning in. "Are you okay, Kagome?"

"Just peachy," was the mumbled response through the gaps of her fingers.

Eri, perched on the tabletop across from them, smiled sadly, swinging her feet around like a little child. "She's a bit hungover."

"Well…you _did _have a bit too much to drink last night," Hojo agreed, nodding. By the time he'd arrived at the party, Kagome had already been a bit tipsy.

"Thats an understatement," Eri chuckled.

But Hojo was hardly listening, so worried about Kagome's health he didn't really hear her. He began to rub Kagome's back the way his mother used to do hot him when he was unwell, his copper eyes soft and concerned.

"Are you hungry?" He asked carefully, hunching toward her, making sure not to talk so loudly. "I can go get you some breakfast."

"Yes," Kagome whimpered, again into her hands. "Please."

He was up and gone in a flash, scurrying over to the cafeteria line. Eri watched him go, shaking her head. "That boy is so in love with you it's almost painful to watch."

Kagome glanced up with a snort, eyes bloodshot and doubtful. "What? He is not."

"He _so _is." Eri finally bounced off the table, sitting in a seat across from her, leaning towards her on the tabletop to gossip. "He's been in love with you ever since you came to the dormitories. I just don't understand how you don't see it."

Kagome waved her hand around dismissively. "He's just being nice to me."

Eri rolled her eyes heavenward. "Please, Kagome, don't tell me you don't notice how he dotes on you, takes care of you when you're hurt. Remember the time I accidentally nicked your arm with a scythe and he almost had a coronary?"

Yes, she _did _remember that. She had the seven-inch scar running along her forearm to remind her. It had been nothing but a flesh wound, bleeding sluggishly. Nothing to fuss over. And yet Hojo had nearly lost himself with worry, escorting her to the sick bay for stitches, 'watching over her' while she was recovering. For weeks after that he'd kept a close eye on her when they practiced. Even know he was more aware of her when they used the sharper fighting utensils.

Kagome frowned down at the table, seeing her distorted image in the shiny, reflective surface. That didn't mean he…_liked _her liked her…did it? A tray was suddenly set underneath her nose, piled high with an array of fruits, nori, a stack of steaming pancakes, bean paste, water and a small cup of coffee.

"I didn't know what you'd like, so I grabbed a little bit of everything," Hojo explained, sitting back down with his own small plate of food. "The food should make you feel better and help you throughout the rest of the day."

A bit wide-eyed, Kagome sat unmoving, staring down at the food. Hojo flinched and cast a glance at Eri who shrugged one shoulder.

"Are you…is that okay?" He asked, tone wobbly and unsure. "I just didn't know what to-."

"Thank you, Hojo," Kagome finally said, interrupting him, her eyes shooting to meet his. "You didn't have to do this."

Eri nodded over Hojo's shoulder, snagging Kagome's attention. Her expression read _'Yes he did,' _just as Hojo said, "yes I did."

Kagome was about to deny him—and ultimately Eri as well—when three captains strode into the Pit, their shoulders set with purpose, chins lifted in business. One of them was Hitomi. He appeared to be looking for someone, his heavy gaze darting quickly from one place to another until…

Kagome bit down on her lip when his eyes found her, zeroing two other captains from other sections of the Wall, followed his line of sight and stared her down as well, grim expressions nearly identical.

Eri glanced over her shoulder, finding just exactly what ha Kagome suddenly so…spaced out. "What are they doing here? Shouldn't they be out on patrol today?"

"Yes, they should," Hojo murmured.

Hitomi seemed as though he was trying to communicate through looks alone, his eyes expressive and alive. His hands were bunched by his sides, teeth worrying on his bottom lip. He suddenly lifted one hand, motioning at her with his pointer and middle finger in a clear '_come here' _gesture.

"Did he just give you the authoritative finger wave?" Eri asked, nose wrinkled in distaste.

With her hands braced on the table Kagome stood up slowly, eyes never leaving Hitomi's, a pit of dread pooling in her stomach. "Yeah. I think he did."

One hand went to adjust the hem of her uniform, the other flew to her hair, smoothing down the strands. She knew she looked like a train went and hit her on a track. She knew she looked hungover. She _felt _hungover. But she also knew whatever he was going to say was of the utmost importance—could practically feel it in her veins.

"Don't eat my food," Kagome said over her shoulder. "I'll be back soon." But even as she began advancing, she saw Eri snatch a pancake.

"Agent Higurashi," he addressed, clicking his heels when she approached. She saluted, two fingers going over her heart, the other hand going behind her back in a balled up fist.

"Captain," she said, returning the greeting.

"I need to have a word with you," he said.

She nodded sharply, forcing her eyes to remain on him and not to the other two captains. "Yes sir."

Hitomi quickly turned on his heel with Kagome trailing after and the other two captains flanking. They walked for about fifteen minuets, heading through the heart of the compound on which the dormitory was located. No one spoke. The only sound was their boots hitting the concrete ground of the long hall.

They passed a few other cadets along the way, a few agents and one captain; all stepped out of their way as soon as they saw them coming, giving them quiet, respective nods as they passed. Finally Hitomi stopped, rounding on Kagome like a towering bodyguard.

"I'd like a word with her," he said at length. "Alone."

The other two seemed to want to protest this but after a shared look, a nod, they saluted before exiting the way they'd come. Kagome and Hitomi stood alone in a wide hall, with beautiful arching windows, overlooking the city. The dorms were built on a hill, high enough that the city was easily overseen from their vantage point.

It was quiet. Hitomi wouldn't stop looking at her, his eyes filled with admiration and fear. This was different, Kagome knew. He wasn't usually this un-playfull with her. He was acting so...serious.

Kagome swallowed nervously. "Whats going on?"

His captains mask faded away in that instant, with that seemingly innocent question, and in its place was a young man, running a hand through his hair in anxiousness. "Theres been an accident," he said quietly, morosely.

Forgetting her hangover and throbbing headache, Kagome tried wetting her mouth. "Accident? What accident? What happened?"

Hitomi gave her one last lingering look, before turning and moving for one of the windows. He pressed his arm into the glass, leaning his body weight against it, closing his eyes against everything. "Squad Six was attacked last night near the north-western borderline…No one," his voice cracked. He swallowed, tried again. "All fifty men, including captain Takeo, perished."

Kagome felt noting for a few long moments. Not sadness. Not pain. Not even anger. She just felt…numb. Like a bucket of ice had ensnared her in it icy fingertips. And then...it all came crashing down, drowning her in emotion like a riptide.

"All..of..them?" She asked, tears slipping down her cheeks. It was absurd, she thought. Completely unheard of.

"All of them," he confirmed through his tense jaw.

A squad being attacked was not uncommon. There was a reason behind why their squads were so large. Kagome, specifically, belonged to Seven, a squad which had sixty-four filed agents, including the newest graduates. Hitomi was the captain of their squad and everyone underneath him was his subordinate. No one disagreed with his actions. No one questioned his reasoning. Thats what it meant to be captain.

Of course there had been deaths. Death happened nearly everyday. Being a field agent, fighting demons day-in and day-out was an occupational hazard.

But not a whole squad. Never a massacre. Never all of them.

"I'm so…sorry," Kagome finally stuttered, not knowing what else to say, wiping her damp under-eye with the back of her hand.

"Yes. Well." Hitomi cleared his throat roughly, shoving away from the wall. "While I appreciate your sympathy, thats not why I asked you here."

"It's not?"

"No, it isn't," he shook his head, not meeting her eye, as if he were silently wishing that telling her the slaughter was the worst part. "I came to tell you that the Chief has already chosen the replacement for squad captain."

Kagome's eyes went wide. "Already?"

After a captain retired or was killed (which was unusual considering field agents usually protected their captains fiercely) the counsel, consisting of all nine remaining captains and the chief, would sit down and discuss the possible candidates. The process usually lasted a week—a long week of mourning and sadness over the fallen captain or retired captain, colluding with the announcement of the new captain.

Hitomi moved for her, his cape swirling around his legs and thighs. His hair was down, the longer forelocks in the front pulled and pinned back behind his head. Despite he frown line marring his forehead and mouth, he looked handsome. Kagome was ashamed, instantly, when her heart jolted and a flush overtook her cheeks and neck.

He grasped her shoulders, appearing as though he didn't know weather to pull her in or not. "Yes."

"Well? Who is it?" She asked, one of her eyebrows lifting towards her hairline. "Come on Hitomi. You're scaring me."

The captain drew a breath.

Opened his mouth.

Looked away.

Snapped his mouth shut.

Cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Met her gaze.

"You," he finally croaked. "The chief decided you're to be the next captain."

* * *

><p><strong>As always, thanks for <strong>**reading. And remember to feed the author; review! **

_**-Bmo**_


	4. The Heart Wants

**_LongAN: _**_OhMyGoshHeyHiHowYouDoing? __I sincerely hope everyone has had a good week so far, and that the goodness transcends into the weekend. It's Friday so..**.rejoice! **No seriously. Be happy. Smile. The week is almost over. I'll even give you a few seconds to go to youtube, pick your fav song you jam to when you're alone, and dance it out._

_7...6...5...4...3...2...1. _

_You...you done? Ok good. Bet you feel better dontcha? _

_Anywhoo, in all seriousness, I have some people to thank. **anime4eva222 and IndigoArcher89. ** You guys are my favorites this week. You gave me great feedback while being polite and telling me a few mistakes I made which I happily took care of. You weren't rude or obtrusive, and I really appreciated that, so a hundred glory points goes out to both of you little darlings._

_I've been having a lot of problems with my computer lately (viruses, it shutting down on me, etc.) And I need that kind of thing now more then ever since I lost my favorite beta reader. __*sighs heavily*_

_You might've noted my writing was a bit off the past two chapters and I do apologize for that and I probably will go back and re-edit. I kind of rushed them. But I really worked hard on this one (even had a long jam session to Christmas music to get the creative juices flowing) and though I am sorry to say there is no yummy Inu in it (I'M SORRY DONT THROW THINGS AT ME HE WILL DEFINITELY BE IN THE NEXT ONE I PROMISE!) I do like how it turned out. So enjoy. _

_And you see that little button down at the bottom of the page? Yea...you know what to do with it ;) _

**_Wall-Of-Thanks:_**

_future writer, lilith-the-fallen, EurydicesRevenge, Larissa, and of course, anime4eva222, and IndigoArcher89. Cybernetic hugs for everyone!_

**_Song inspiration for this chapter: _**_M83—Wait _

* * *

><p><em><em><strong>This Shining Armor Of Mine<strong>__

**Chapter 3. The Heart Wants  
><strong>

When she moved or walked the cape dragged along the concrete, swishing and dancing in-between her legs like a attention seeking feline. Her hands, freshly manicured and trembling, fisted into the velvety material, pulling it upwards slightly. It wouldn't do if she were to trip. Not now. Not here. With all the eyes in the world watching her every intake of breath with intense focus, waiting for her to show up and be spectacular or screw up if she didn't, nothing would've been worse than losing the meager respect she already retained.

The cape was draped over her shoulder-blades, heavy literally and figuratively—the weight of the world resting upon her. But it was much to long, meant for someone of much larger stature and bigger build. Had the people of Nagimitama been given more time to prepare, her uniform might've appeared properly fitted, properly sized for her willowy yet curvy frame. The garment still was substantial enough that when she'd looked in the mirror that morning, what she hadn't seen (and knew she wouldn't) wasn't a strong leader.

A captain.

No, what Kagome had seen was a girl, a young woman, maybe seventeen or eighteen, engulfed in an official uniform dyed the color pitch, with boots that gleamed in the light-beams like sable diamonds. She looked like a child playing dress-up in her father's clothing. The arms of the jacket were far to long, and as a result she'd rolled them up to her wrists. The pants had been too baggy; she'd belted the waist tightly and stuffed the hems into the boots, the singular things that _were _fitted accurately.

She fidgeted with the cape again, eyes jumping, never landing on a spot longer than a millisecond.

"Stop that," Eri's voice—usually so chipper and blasé—now clipped and full of purpose, edging into Kagome's thoughts. Her friend lightly batted her hands away from the edges of the fine cape while they walked. "You look fine."

Kagome said, "I look like a child."

"No. You don't. We've been over this. _I _look like the child." She gestured dully to her uniform, now Kagome's old, modest uniform, with a wrinkle creasing her nose. "You look like a force to be reckon with."

Kagome moved her eyes down the empty hall, expressionless. "I look like a peacock." And she felt like one, too. All swaggered up and entirely overly polished for her liking.

"It could be worse," Eri said, catching the unhappy twist to Kagome's lips. "You could have a matching hat with feathered plume."

Kagome gave a little laugh that sounded suspiciously like a sob, smiling sadly at her friend who wouldn't be with her for much longer. After the ceremony and dinner banquet, she'd be spending most of her time with the agents of squad Six, training with them and guarding the city with them, and rooming with the other captains a floor or two up. She hadn't yet been moved, or introduced to any of her new comrades, but everything had a certain finality to it. Everything was out of her control. Her world had spun on its axis so suddenly, she was still stumbling to righten herself and catch up.

"_You," He'd said, with a break in his whimsical baritone. Hitomi's eyes had been wavering all over the place until this point. Now he stared at her directly—_at her, _only her. Muddy brown and blue-grey collided. His lips had parted, his words overflowing like grains of rice spilled from a fallen satchel, overwhelming and sudden. "The chief decided you're to be the next captain."_

That had been yesterday, and yet she still reeled from the blow of his words. She felt as if many a decade had passed her by since then, as if she were moving through mud, slow and sluggish, while the rest of the world dashed past her in a whiz of blurred color and buzzing sound. So much had changed.

A sudden, and rather ungraceful stumble came from her. Eri stopped, glancing at her curiously. Kagome hissed sharply through her teeth, glaring down at the offending black fabric pooled around her feet with disdain. She hiked it up again and kept going, her nose upturned with a new mentality which made sure that _that _would never happen again. There was too much as stake now.

Yes. Much had changed.

xXx

The instatement ceremony was to be a grand thing. Or, at least, thats what everyone kept telling her.

It was to be held in the Great Hall with everyone attending; the cadets, the years new graduates, all nine captains, four officials, and the chief himself. Currently, everyone was at the funeral proceedings, paying respects to the fallen men who had bravely sacrificed themselves for the cause. She would've attended, and wanted to, but Hitomi had told her and Eri to stay behind and get ready for, what he called, Kagome's 'special day.'

After they returned and got into place, she would walk down the long corridor which connected each dormitory to the next: a symbol of her journey through all stages at some point. She would be saluted by all, stared at by all, and envied by all. After which she would be officially ushered in as the official captain of squad Six. There was to be a dinner and perhaps some dancing and music.

And then life would move on.

"What am I going to do without you?" Kagome mumbled conversationally, twirling her hair around one finger. "I'll be bored to death."

"Oh yes, you'll be bored alright," Eri snickered, rifling through their small dresser drawers. "You'll be so bored by all the action on the battle field—destroying the rouges day after day. Spending your nights," she sighed wistfully, thinking about it as if war-life was romantic, "with your fellow captains and sleeping in the captains quarters."

Kagome sat up from her slouched position, knocking her pillow to the floor. "Eri Okada," she said, mocking and light. "Do I detect a hint of _envy _in your words? I'm shocked, really."

"No. No you do not." She continued digging, flinging random items aside while she searched. "Why would I be jealous? What with all of the action I'll be getting at the wall, I'll be to busy to be jealous."

From the way Eri had purred the word _action, _sinful and needy,Kagome knew from experience that her friend hadn't been talking about fighting with the demon rouges.

Kagome laughed, rocking backward. "Do you ever think about anything other than boys?"

Eri finally glanced up, eyes half-lidded, a loopy smirk on her mouth. "Nope."

"Never?"

"Never, not once. And neither should you."

Kagome's hand fluttered to her chest, batting her eyes. "Me?"

"Yes you, _captain_," Eri drawled, mouth quirked.

While she giggled, Kagome's mind, of course, instantly wandered to Hitomi…who at this very moment, she knew, was with the other nine captains, discussing the newly implemented schedule they'd be using, effective the next day.

She smiled to herself fondly, looking away.

Eri had her face nearly shoved in the drawer now, missing the gentleness that caused Kagome's features to grow soft. "You need a man in your life. You've never even had a boyfriend."

The tenderness faded as quickly as it had come. Yes, it was true: she'd never had a boyfriend. Never held a boy so intimately it made her want to cry. Never even kissed someone. She'd never been in love. But oh, how she yearned for it.

From time to time, the overbearing want to love someone became to strong. She had her friends, yes. She had her family…sort of. But to truly be in love, drunk with it, hopelessly and idiotically drunk with it…well. That had yet to happen.

She figured that she wouldn't experience it for a while, not with her extraordinary 'skills' and great knack for killing demons in her spare time. Those weren't the normal turn-ons, and the boys tended to shy away from her anyway. Hojo and Hitomi were the only exception. And she doubted that her new captains title would have guys knocking down her door.

But she still wished for it, hoped for it. Waited on it. The craving for companionship was more prominent on the mornings she spent at the Wall, piercing all the world with her gaze, seeking for more than a life behind a concrete enclosure. She'd rest a while and stare at the world about her until the sun broke the sky, making up stories in her head about the adventures she'd have past the walls of the city, in the countryside, free as a butterfly.

Some of her daydreams had romances in them. Some did not. Most did, though.

_"Oh well," _she shrugged, leaning back against the wall behind her cot. The heart wanted what the heart wanted._  
><em>

"What are you looking for?" Kagome asked, breaking herself from her own imagination. "You've been rummaging around in there for half an hour. The drawer isn't that big."

Eri mumbled halfway to herself, not looking up, "I was sure I put it in here. And hey—it may not look like it, but this drawer is pretty deep."

Kagome stifled a snort of amusement and went back to twiddling her hair, trying to appear aloof and calm. But on the inside she felt herself trembling like a leaf. She could feel the nervousness bubbling, steadily stewing in her stomach. Her foot began to tap a nameless beat.

She glanced at the clock with her eyes, watching the second hand _tick, tick, tick _away. There was only an hour until it was three. The ceremony began at three. Her nervousness intensified tenfold.

Eri slammed the drawer shut, huffing. "I could've sworn it was in there!" She marched around her singular cot a few feet away, spewing curses under breath. Thankfully no one heard besides Kagome—the dorm room was completely empty save for them.

She ducked underneath the bed, and Kagome lost sight of her for a moment. She folded her legs atop her cot and waited. A few loose things were rolled and thrown out from underneath the bed, a dirty shirt, a hair band—Eri still muttering away while she searched. Kagome craned her neck as a decretive tin rolled underneath her own cot.

"Ah-ha!" Eri screeched gleefully, jumping up and scaring the daylights out of Kagome. She held her hand aloft, high in a bunched fist above her head. "Found it!"

Kagome glowered at her, pressing a hand to her chest, over her frantic heart. "Found what? What's got you so loopy?"

Eri held her hand out and uncurled her fingers, reveling a small pouch. "This," she beamed, her mocha eyes sparkling.

"_Thats_ what you've been running around here looking for?" Kagome asked, peering down at the simple beige, drawstring pouch. It certainly didn't look like much, not something worth spending over a half an hour searching for.

"Yep."

"And thats...good?" Kagome asked slowly, eyebrows knitting.

Eri shook her head sadly, grinning still. "Oh, my naive little captain. Weren't you ever told never to judge a book by its cover?"

She shifted a little, wrapping her arms around her knees."...Yes?"

Eri didn't speak for a few long seconds, looking at Kabgome with what made her feel like she was being assessed. "Good," Eri said eventually, playful, pulling on the strings.

Eri reached carefully into the pouch, gauging Kagome's reaction as she tilted forward, trying to get a peek inside. And when Eri finally produced the small object she'd been looking for so intently, Kagome's mouth went slack.

It was a hair accessory. But this was not just any mediocre, girly bauble. This was obviously something of value—both personal and appraisable. It was silver, shaped vaguely like a butterfly, with deep, blue sapphire stones inlaid in the carefully crafted and shimmering metal. It was beautiful, truly.

"Where did you...?" Kagome trailed, her words breathy, reaching out her fingers as if to grab it.

Eri cupped the hair pin to her heart. "It was my mothers. She wore it to her wedding and before she..." She swallowed audibly, eyes flicking up at Kagome before quickly darting away. "You know."

Kagome wet her lips uncomfortably, reaching out again, though this time it was to pat Eri's arm in a comforting gesture.

Eri's mother had died fighting on the line of duty. The woman had been one of the first field agents to join and serve the Aramitama sector when it had first been assembled, and passed away only months after Eri had been born. Her death was the main reason Eri had joined the field agents in the first place.

"Anyway," Eri cleared her throat forcefully, blinking. "My grandmother gave this to me when I got my acceptance letter to Aramitama. And I thought…I dunno," She shrugged, "that maybe you'd want to wear it today."

The very corners of Kagome's mouth trembled and she blinked to restrain a few tears that threatened to fall. "Thank you," she said at length, managing a wobbly smile.

Eri nodded, a flicker of kindness passing over her. Then she twirled her finger in the air, all business once again, gesturing for Kagome to turn around. Kagome obeyed, hands folded patiently in her lap. Eri picked up a brush, handed a small mirror to Kagome so she could watch. And then she worked her magic.

xXx

She blew out a breath, pushing the cape behind her leg while she turned on her heel and resumed pacing. Her palms were clammy. A bead of sweat trailed down the length of her neck and disappeared underneath her shirt collar.

_"What's taking so long?" _She wondered, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth and nibbling on the sensitive skin.

After she was finished getting ready, Eri had walked with her down the Great Hall. She'd gave her a reassuring hug, a reassuring smile, and disappeared behind a mammoth set of doors where everyone else was congregated. The same doors she'd been pacing in front of for nearly twenty minuets.

She sat on one of the edge of the floor length windows, gazing out the window at the cityscape. Stood up again, restless. She wriggled a finger between the two golden clasps pressed against her throat and pushed the cape away slightly, swallowing a breath.

Her gaze wandered to the doors. _"Why won't they just hurry up?" _

Kagome marched over and pressed one ear to the smooth wood, eyes fluttering closed in concentration. She could hear dull murmuring; a lot of voices spoke at once, creating a constant buzz of noise. Nothing helpful.

She sighed and stepped away, fisting her hands in her cape. It was becoming a habit, one she tried to avoid. She thought it made her look a tad weak, if not a bit childish. But she needed something resembling comfort. Needed something. Someone. Someone to wrap their arms around her and whisper, _"It'll be okay. You'll see. It will all work out in the end." _

She paced slowly to the windows once more, pressing the very tips against of her fingers against the glass, watching the city pulse with life and activity, people and merchants continuing on with their duly lives. Kagome observed, and let her mind wander.

Her mother.

Her brother.

What where they doing today? Had word carried to them of her new position? Surely they had. Gossip spread, no matter the state of the world. Were they...proud? Scared for her safety? Or did they simply wish to be with her? Did they miss her as much as she did them?

Her mother probably didn't care too much. Though she certainly wouldn't say, perhaps she had a twinge of feeling every now and then, a remaining sense of motherly care for her children.

Souta...well, anything that had to do with fighting was worth his interest.

Kagome could practically see and hear him now, hopping around like an overexcited puppy. _"You're a soldier now, sis!"_ He'd say, his brown eyes, just like their fathers, glinting animatedly_."And not just any solider—you're the head soldier!"_

She chuckled. He was such a little knucklehead.

Her hands curled into fists. The smile faded.

She missed him. So much.

"Kagome?"

She spun, misty eyes falling on Hitomi who was peeking out from behind one of the doors.

"Sorry," she blurted. "I...I didn't even hear you. A-are they ready for me?"

He seemed to take the question seriously, contemplating for a good while. But when he spoke again, it had nothing to do with this day or her question at all. Instead Hitomi said, "You look beautiful."

Kagome's heart skipped almost painfully in her chest. She ducked her head, fighting off a blush. After a moment she risked a peek at him through the gaps in her bangs. The sincerity of his gaze hadn't changed.

"Th-thank you," she said, hands going to the damned cape.

Eri had done everything in her power to make Kagome look flawless. She'd brushed her hair to a sheen, then carefully twisted and pinned it back until half of it was in a neat little bun, while the rest fell down the length of her spine in waves, leaving little tendrils curling around her face. Then, with a kiss placed on the metal, she'd stuck the pin into the bun.

While Kagome had thought she was finished, Eri had told her there was still one more thing to do. She dusted a bit of pale powder over her face and neck, then added a bit of blush to her cheekbones and lined her lash-line with kohl. Kagome had protested at first, knowing how expensive and hard to find makeup was. But Eri had insisted in that stubborn and charming way she usually did.

_"There," Eri'd said, finally, cupping Kagome's chin and tilting her head this way and that. "_Now _you're ready." _

Kagome shuddered a breath as she watched Hitomi slip through the doorway, moving towards her. "Eri—she did it for me. I...don't know anything about makeup."

"Even still," he murmured when he stood a few feet away.

A heavy silence fell, speaking for them when their words couldn't. The hall was noiseless, except for the quiet sound of their breathing. Kagome was the one to break it.

"I'm...scared," she finally admitted. She thought it might feel better, to say the words aloud, but instead they only made her feel pathetic and weak. She was scared to walk into that room. Scared to fail. Scared to die. Scared to fight.

Fighting the rouges had seemed like the right thing to do up until this point. Even when she felt terribly out of place at the dorms—quiet and shy where her roommates where loud and social—she always had her powers to turn to, her longbow to return to, the practices to take her mind away from the insanity that made up her life. But, now, even that felt like it were failing her.

"It's okay to feel the way you're feeling right now, but you'll be just fine." Hitomi said, wringing out his hands as if he were itching to reach out and hold her. "I know you will. I've been in this game for a long time and I've known you for even longer. And I know that you're going to be one of those captains that everyone loves and admires."

"Yeah. I'm sure."

His eyes hardened, determined. "I mean it. Look how much you care, how hard your training, and you haven't been a field agent for more than three days."

Kagome licked her lips while she listened, silent, eyes sliding over his shoulder, focusing on nothing.

Hitomi shifted when she said nothing, forcing her to return her gaze. "Remember what I asked you to do when you first got here?"

Kagome pondered for a second, thinking back, and then realized what he was referring to. Reluctantly, she smirked, bashfully digging the toe of her boot into the floor. "You told me to kick some ass."

"That I did. And here you are." He opened his arms wide, gesturing to her splendor. "Kicking ass. Managing a head title not even a month out of the end of your training. I must say, _captain Higurashi, _I am impressed."

Kagome tried, and failed miserably, to hide a smile. "Thanks. It's just daunting, you know? Knowing that I have something to prove."

Hitomi gently pressed his hand into the small of her back, guiding her forward. "Yeah. I know the feeling. But it's get better. Trust me."

They stopped at the large doors, and Kagome gulped, once against fidgeting with the clasps pressing against her throat. "I feel like I'm in a monkey suit. I wish I could just wear my field uniform."

Hitomi chuckled and rapped his knuckles twice against the doors. "I understand that feeing, too."

Both doors swept open at his command, revealing a cathedral-esk room packed with people. People that stopped in their conversation to turn to stare, pining her to the spot. Some were smiling. Some she recognized. Others were obviously sizing her up, not even trying to be discreet. The slightly awkward position wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world except Hitomi took that moment to lightly pat her on the back, winking while a grin carved his mouth before joining them.

And there she stood, alone under the weight of several hundred eyes, her hands knotting themselves into her cape. The room temperature spiked.

Light flooded in through windows near the ceiling, illuminating the cadets and field agents that were in middle of the room, congregated in one mass of bodies. The captains stood in two neat rows on the small set of stairs at the head of the room, hands folded in front of themselves, with Tsubaki and Hitomi leading the head of the pack.

At the top of the stairs stood the four officials, representing each of the four regions that made up the city: Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitama, Sakimitama. And beyond them, on the very top of the fifth step—the chief.

Kagome felt her hands shake. The_ chief. _

Even though his eyes were hidden by a dark veil of bangs, she felt like an insect being dissected under his steady gaze. He wore a pressed suit and polished shoes. His hair hung long in loose waves, hanging all the way down to his waist. She felt her eyes meet with his, though she couldn't see them, a half sided smirk made his lips twitch.

Kagome quickly recaptured her gaze and shifted it, eyes landing on a young boy, perhaps a year or two older than her own brother, standing behind the important man off in the shadows. His brownish hair was tugged into a neat little ponytail on the crown of his head, and although his bangs also fell in his face, Kagome could clearly see his eyes. And they were dull, aimlessly staring at the throng of cadets and soldiers, mouth set in a thin line that was contradicting when used by his juvenile features.

He looked as though the soul had been ripped right from him.

Kagome's gut summersaulted.

The chief casually raised one hand and a hush descended on the room.

"Kagome Higurashi," the man said, voice ricocheting of the high-vaulted beams that sculpted the room. He sounded like we was everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Approach."

Kagome leveled her shoulders and tore her attention from the young man, gathering up the full cape slightly so it wouldn't drag. Lifting her chin, she fixed her gaze on the chief and made her way slowly down the isle. The field agents shuffled aside for her, parting so she could pass.

A murmur rippled through the crowd, every eye swept over her, judging her. When she found him in the sea of bodies, Hitomi's lips twitched, nodding once in encouragement as she drew near.

She kept her head high, even when her eyes stung, even when her legs turned to jelly, focusing on walking. One step after another as the crowd parted before her, then closed in her wake.

The captains on the staircases shifted as one booted heel hit the first stair. The chief's smirk widened in pleasure. As she raised her head, her eyes fluttering upwards, foot landing on the third step, the damnable cape twisted around her thigh and she stumbled.

Hitomi reacted instantly, reaching out his hands to help. But before he could get to her, another hand was in his place.

Kagome gasped mutely, head bowed as a spark of...something shot up and down her arm. A large, shockingly cold hand was wrapped around her noticeably smaller one before she had the chance to fall. She lifted her gaze, eyes wide at the sight of the chief. His face was now visible as she stood a good foot underneath him on the stairs.

He was surprisingly young-faced, with cheekbones sharp enough to cut and an even sharper jawline. But his eyes were truly something. They were so red they nearly bled, a deep color that was almost purple._  
><em>

"Are you alright?" He asked, the corners of his lips creasing.

Her tongue froze in her mouth. His thumb gently grazed over her knuckles and the small hairs on her neck stood on end.

She could feel him.

Not just his skin. Not just his nearness. But Kagome could actually _feel him. _When their hands touched, something shifted. Something tangible that twisted in the air around them when his hand enclosed over hers.

Her brow knit in confusion. _"Why...why can I feel him?" _

She had never sensed someone to this degree. Sure she had always been a good people reader, but this—this was something else entirely. The Wall briefly came to mind, with its barrier. Only she had been able to feel it. Only she and captain Tsubaki. Had the other captain noticed the chiefs off aura as well?

It was as if the switch to his aura had been switched on, becoming viable to Kagome. Despite her uncertainty, Kagome could practically see it ebbing and twisting and..._writhing _around him.

It was a dark, dark thing.

She hastily snatched her hand back, withholding herself from wiping it off as if it were covered in slime. She covered her repulsion by blinding him with a sugary smile. "Yes. I'm sorry. This cape is just to large for me I'm afraid."

The chief, and a few others near enough to her the charming response, chuckled. "I see. I'll have the tailor make the proper adjustments for you soon."

He gestured for her to stand by his side and she awkwardly obliged, climbing the last step, glancing backwards and glaring at the very end of her cape. _"Behave." _

The ceremony was rather quick and relatively painless. The four officials and all nine captains signed the agreement of her instatement, then the chief, and at last Kagome. It was then sealed and stamped with the ceremonial wax.

At last she was instructed to kneel. Once she was on bended knee, the chief, hands gripped on either side of the original document created by the first agents, swore her in, speaking a series of vows that Kagome repeated.

"I solemnly swear to guard the people of Shikon according to the laws and customs laid down by the generations of past captains," she recited.

"I will use all the power bestowed on me to further the good of the common man,to protect every man and woman under my supervision, and to mete out justice to the rebels as my forefathers have done before me. All this, I promise to do today and for all the days of my command, before all the witnesses; weather they be of the Earth, the heavens, or the Kami themselves."

The chief lifted his chin, motioning for her to stand. "I hereby proclaim you Captain Higurashi of squad Six."

The crowd, as if one, lifted their hands to their hearts, the other hand going behind their backs. Kagome took a breath, felt her lips tremble with a smile as she caught the heart filled and admiring looks of her friends, and returned a salut of her own.

The crowd erupted into deafening cheers.


	5. The Photograph

**_LongAN: _**_Hey __friends!  
><em>

_I'm sorry this chapter is a day late and that there is, once again, no Inuyasha in it (IM SORRY I REALLY AM PLEASE TO GOD DONT HURT ME.) I had totally planned for him to be in this one I SWEAR, but then the chapter got waaaaay longer than I had originally planned and I had to cut in half. _

_Sooooo the bad news is is that there is no Inuyasha in this chappie. But the good news is is that I will be updating probably on friday, or, at the latest, sunday._

_I am also sorry for the mistakes in this chapter as I am sure there are some. But I hurried to get this one out as soon as possible and didn't have time to look it over thoroughly. I apologize for the inconvenience. _

**_Wall-Of-Thanks:_**

_My two favorites: IndigoArcher89, and anime4eva222. As always, thank you! _

**_Song(s) inspiration for this chapter: _**

_Dexter Britain—Confused and Alone (Finding the Photograph.) _

_Dexter Britain—The Lucky Ones (The road home.) _

* * *

><p><em><em><strong>This Shining Armor Of Mine<strong>__

**Chapter 3. The Photograph  
><strong>

"Again."

Hitomi launched another tennis ball. Kagome raised the bow, aiming for the airborne target. The need for perfection tightened every muscle, despite the fact that she hadn't missed one yet. She released the bowstring, loosing the arrow, the drawn tension sending the sharpened projectile soaring through the air.

The ball fell to the ground; the arrow speared right through the middle.

"Good shot," Hitomi commented, picking up the spiracle object and yanking the arrow free. "But you hesitated." He waved the arrow at her, scolding. "Stop hesitating."

Kagome lowered the longbow and sighed, wiping the sweat drenching her brow with the back of her hand. "Sorry. I've just…got a lot on my mind."

Her fellow captain nodded. "And I can sympathize with that. But I need you to focus. You asked me to help you practice after the captains normal training sessions and I agreed, only with your promise that you would put all of your effort into it."

Kagome sagged to the ground with her damp back pressed against the brick wall of the now empty gym—everyone had left hours ago, heading to the showers before going to the Pit for dinner.

She reached for her water bottle, looking at him apologetically. "And I am. Trying, I mean."

"I know you are. But you can't zone out like you did. If you'd been on the field a demon could've taken advantage of your vulnerability without any hesitation and would've struck you down. You should be able to control your power while still being fully present, both mentally and physically."

She _was _spacing out more frequently; she'd had a lot on her mind. She knew he was right and that his admonishments were well deserved.

Kagome downed some of the lukewarm water from the bottle while Hitomi finger-combed his hair, tying it up hastily so it was out of his face. "I don't want you getting hurt."

Kagome smirked and set the bottle aside, wishing her teasing companion would reappear and this dour trainer standing before her would go away. "Aww. Are you worried about me?"

Hitomi looked at her head on, eyes hard and serious as ever. "Yea. I am."

Kagome's smile froze on her lips. "Well I'm fine. I don't need you to make such a fuss."

Hitomi made a sound of disagreement and started packing away the equipment, his broad back facing her. "And what should I do, Kagome? Just stop caring about you?"

Kagome gathered herself, standing up on quivering legs, bow clutched in her hand. "No, but you could stop treating me like a child. You've been acting this way ever since it was announced I'd be captain nearly _a month and a half _ago."

She watched as his shoulders sagged with a deep, exhausted sigh. "Kagome—."

She shook her head angrily, barely restringing from stomping her foot. "No! You've been treating me like I'm made of porcelain ever since. I'm sick of it."

He didn't speak and Kagome paused and bit her lip, trying to choose her next words wisely.

"I need you Hitomi. But not like this. I need my friend back. Ever since that day, everyone has been treating me differently, looking at me like I'm some…odd thing. And while I am sick of it, I expected it to some degree. But I never expected you, of _all people, _to look at me like that too."

He turned slowly, glancing at her over the curve of his shoulder. A line had appeared in the middle of his forehead, right between the eyes. His expression was soft now, almost sad. Kagome widened her eyes at him, needing for him to say something. Anything.

"I'm sorry Kagome. I just…" He ran a hand down his face, sighing again while he pinched the bride of his nose. "I just hate the thought of you getting hurt out there. The demon hordes are becoming larger and more aggressive. You couldn't have become a captain a more worse time."

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. The council didn't decide to name me captain for nothing, right? And if that the case…well then we're all in big trouble aren't we?"

He opened one eye, peering at her. He smiled slowly, reluctantly.

Legs still quivering from her rough training, Kagome slowly approached. "Come on, Hitomi. It'll be okay. _I'll _be okay."

He grunted his assent...barely. "I know, I know..."

"Besides," Kagome stacked her bow against the others, handling it with care. "Weren't you telling me something about new equipment they just shipped in from the labs in Kushimitama? Those should be able to help me with my little problem."

"Oh, yeah, I did." He said, just now remembering that little fact, seemingly forgetting the thick tenseness that had fallen. He beckoned her over to a stack of plastic storage creates that sat up against the wall, all stacked in neat rows. "Here, come check them out."

Kagome bounded over as Hitomi lifted the lid and set it aside. "They were already shipped in and you didn't tell me?"

Kagome stepped up beside him and riffled through, pulling back some of the wrapping paper. Inside, wrapped neatly and polished to a shine, lay small, curved apparatuses in packing foam, gleaming underneath the gyms florescent light fixtures.

"What are they?" Kagome asked absently, picking one up, carefully cradling it in her palm. She narrowed her eyes, examining its curves and buttons.

"Apparently these are communication devices. Starting next week we are going to be required to wear these on the field."

Kagome frowned, slightly confused. "Why?"

"The board decided that we need to have more safety precautions," said Hitomi. "Had squad Six been able to comm another squad that night more lives might have been spared."

He stepped in front of her, grabbing the device from her fingertips. Slowly, while Kagome tried to remember how to breathe, he pushed her dark hair away from her ear and swept it behind her shoulder, fingers trailing over the curved shell of her ear.

"This will help," he breathed.

Kagome gulped at the proximity of him. He bent forward and gently placed the com into her ear, adjusting it so it fit snugly without it being uncomfortable. And the whole time his eyes need left her own.

"Good?" He inquired when it was in place, nearly inaudible, his hands gently brushing hers, his fingers twitching against her fingers.

Kagome's breath hiccuped. "Y-yeah. I'm good."

The captain straightened back to his full height, forcing Kagomes eyes to follow. He reached over into the bin, grabbing another comm and planting this one in his own ear canal. He pressed a button and Kagome's comm crackled from his close frequency.

"Can you hear me?"

Kagome smiled, nodding as his voice filled her ear from the small device.

"Look, Kagome," he said, his raspy voice in her head and echoing around the gym; everywhere. "I'm sorry for acting like a jerk. I just...I can't handle the thought of you—..." he stared at the wall, the words falling off.

Fighting the urge to gather him in her arms, Kagome stared up at him. "Can you hear me?" she asked, his same question to her.

He glanced at her. A one sided smirk. "Yeah. I can hear you just fine."

"Then you'll hear me when I say that I accept your apology and that I'll be fine."

He looked away.

She reached out for him, grabbing one of his hands. "I'll. Be. Fine. Nothings going to happen to me."

"...Promise?" Hitomi whispered.

Kagome bit the corner of her bottom lip, contemplating the double loaded question. She could promise him. She could say all the things he wanted to hear,...but without truly knowing what would happen on the field, who was to say? Her future was so unclear.

But without her vow, Kagome doubted that Hitomi would even let her think about going near the Wall, let alone _fight. _And she needed, more than anything else in the world, to see what was beyond her world with her own eyes.

"Yes," She whispered back, the lie burning her tongue, tasting like ash. "I promise."

xXx

Late. It was late, and dark and quiet. The sun had withdrawn itself from the world hours ago, slipping further and further down the skyline respectfully until it could be seen no more and the moon, crescent and blinding with the sun's radiance, had taken its place.

Slowly, so as not to wake her sleeping companions, Kagome slipped out of the double sized bed they'd given her, the pads of her feet touching the ground soundlessly. The bedding itself was plush and the blankets, sheets and pillows were lush and filled with the finest goose feathers. In all reality it should have been divine. It was a real step up from her old, lousy cot. She should've slipped into dreamland easily with comfort like that, like the other captains had done hours ago after dinner and a bit of chatting.

But she couldn't sleep. She had a full belly from dinner and the lull of sleep w_ay _trying to coerce her, but still her mind refused. And staring up at the ceiling was becoming pretty dull. Weather it be from the over comforting sensation of the sheets, or the thoughts in her head keeping her awake, she didn't know. But, if she had to bet, she would've gone with the latter.

The room was circular, almost like a dome. Each bed was angled towards the middle, with just enough safe to place bedside tables in between each one. It was cozy, and the moonlight streaming in from the windows made it even more so. Kagome didn't even really mind that she now had to share a room with boys now. Lots of them. The captains were all male, Tsubaki and herself excluded. And currently Tsubaki was away on one of her tours down the Wall, reinforcing the barrier with her powers.

As she walked right past her boots which lay neatly by the side of her bed, ready and waiting for her to slip them on in a hurry if needed, Kagome realized that she too would be expected to start touring. With her help, Tsubaki wouldn't need to tour as much. Kagome knew all to well what a tiering experience barrier building and reinforcing could be. Splitting the job was a more logical solution, one that would make the barrier stronger with almost half the exertion.

Rustling of bedding made Kagome stop just short of the doorway. She peered over her shoulder, spotting Hitomi as he rolled over in his sleep. He mumbled something garbled against his pillow, sighed heavily, and seemed to go back to sleep.

Kagome wet her throat and opened the door, wincing when it made a rather noisy creak, then kept going, soundless as a whisper as she wore no boots that would clomp against the concrete corridors.

She nearly flew down the metal staircase leading from the third floor to the second and finally to the first, running fast and as quiet as humanly possible. She didn't really know why she was running—didn't even know where her legs and feet were taking her. All she knew was she had to go.

Her figure sped past the boys dormitories, and then the girls. Still she didn't stop, though she did briefly entertain in the idea of waking Hojo and Eri up. She wanted to see them—badly. She hadn't seen either of them for a month, not even a brush-in with them in the corridors.

Kagome wanted to curl up in her old cot, even as uncomfortable as it may have been, and whisper secrets and dreams and hopes backhand forth with Eri until they fell asleep just like they always used to.

It had been too long since she'd seen her friends. Too long since she'd seen anyone of her past. And although the captains had all been very welcoming, they didn't understand her. It wasn't just because she was a female, though they did tease her about that too for a short time, watching with avid interest and chucking as she blushed and meekly spluttered like a fool at some of their crude truth she knew they were only joking, messing around with her to rile her up. She was horrified to admit that it worked.

But after a short time, and training with her while she was in the gym and seeing how she handled her weapon, they started to shy away, eyeing her while speaking in hushed tones, in as if she were some foreign entity. Hitomi had noticed to. And finally, one afternoon, he had told her why.

_"__Your Miko is showing," _he'd jested in a sing-song voice, nudging her.

She hadn't understood at the time what he'd meant exactly until she relaxed, lowered her bow from her target and finally had the chance to uncover the truth to his words and their odd behavior.

It was her aura.

Normal people probably couldn't see it outright, and they probably couldn't even truly feel it to its full extent, but somehow the other captains knew. Without ever being on the receiving end Kagome couldn't be sure, but she imagined it felt like an otherworldly staticky-buzz that filled the air, a pressure in space that couldn't be grasped, but felt just the same.

Kagome rounded the corner to the corridor that ultimately led to the Great Hall, irradiated by the moonlight spilling in from the hall windows. Her attention focused immediately on a door that was partially opened. Never noticing it before, Kagome stepped through and found herself in another long hallway. On the walls were rows of portraits of each graduating class.

"Woah." She reached out tentatively, as if to touch the nearest and oldest photograph, the oldest photo she'd ever encountered.

Film was an expensive thing, a luxury very few could afford. The only pictures anyone had now was the photo's passed down by descendants, and this specific picture was no exception.

It was black-and-white and worn at the very edges, with a hand-crafted frame. In the picture were men standing in orderly lines, wearing a type of uniform that was very unfamiliar. None were smiling. All of them had their fingers over their hearts, opposite hands fisted behind their backs in the Aramitama salute. There were no women. They were the first field agents.

Kagome continued down the line, looking at every single photograph one by one, spotting Eri's mother at the fifth, one of three women in the field agents. Each picture was a true testament to the trials and tribulations they faced. The first men looked beaten, eyes humorless and defatted.

But the further down the line she went, the more evidence of happiness, of _life,_ she came upon.

There was the occasional picture that had men and women smiling, even laughing in some. These men and women were obvious brothers and sisters—maybe not by blood, but family all the same.

Kagome was smiling by the time she reached her own class portrait, taken the day they'd had their first shift at the Wall. They were all so young compared to the middle-aged men in the first picture. Their picture was in color, bright and rich, emphasizing the green of the trees which surrounded them. And everyone looked so happy. They all grinned excitedly; pleased and proud to be wearing the uniform.

Hitomi, as the overseeing trainer for their class, stood off to the side a bit. Eri and Hojo stood at her side, grins so wide they stretched cross their faces. Kagome couldn't deny that even her past self had a certain glow about her, her eyes eager, lips parted with a smile.

Kagome suddenly yawned, stretching her hands high above her head, bare toes curling against the cool stone of the floor. A glance out the only window carved wall of the room informed that she'd been in the hall-of-pictures (as she'd formally dubbed it in her mind) for some time; the moon was beginning to fade.

"Better get back. I should at least get _some _sleep," she mumbled to herself, heading for the door. But suddenly, as her eyes skimmed over one of the portraits as she went, a scene she'd apparently missed the first time around, she stopped, the sight of it halting her in her tracks.

Evident by the black-and-white tone of it, the photo was one of the older ones. In the gilded framework conformed around the illustration were five rows of men and women, standing in a wide field that Kagome had never seen in all of her years living in the dormitory. The whole group was donned in the older but newly retired uniform, faces serious, hands in the proper salute, eyes forward—nearly expressionless.

Except for two figures.

Two figures, one male and a female, standing side-by-side, had their faces turned towards _each other _instead of whomever had taken the picture. Hints of smiles were lingering at the corners of their lips, eyes trained solidly on each other, alight with a secretive type of laughter, as if they didn't even know anyone else existed. The pair was obviously in love.

But this peculiar, albeit slightly adorable, fact wasn't what caught Kagomes breath and held it captive.

_No._

Oh,_ no. _

It was the fact that the women in the picture, her smile thin but full of adoration that was directed at the male, looked almost identical to herself. Almost exactly like Kagome.

"What...?" She breathed, the wind knocked from her lunges. She took a step of disbelief, her fingers twitching as they reached out to skim the smooth surface of the portrait, as if she could slip seamlessly back in time to when it had been taken.

The women looked perhaps nineteen or twenty, with large eyes that almost seemed disproportionate to her slender face and dainty nose. Her hair, jet black and stick straight was secured in a low tail by a white ribbon, hanging down her lower back with two forelocks draped over her shoulders.

The young woman was lovely.

_"She...she looks almost just like me,"_ Kagome incredulously thought, frantically pressing both hands on either side of the frame. _"How...how is this possible?"_

Yes, she realized it might have been just a coincidence; there were a lot of people in the world and she wasn't naive. The chances of of someone looking like her weren't all that terrible. And, yes, she knew this picture had been taken at least thirty years ago. That the women in the photo was either retired or, more likely and more depressingly, deceased.

But there was something more to this. It seemed as though...as though the picture was drawing her towards it, needing her to see this captured moment with her own eyes and comprehend...comprehend what?

Kagome swallowed a bit of air and slid her eyes over to male's figure, needing all pieces of this bizarre puzzle to slip together, and was even more surprised to find that his hair was..._silver?_

Kagome blinked once, twice and then shook her head, in case her eyes were playing tricks on her.

The color stubbornly remained. How...odd.

The man's eyes were hooded by bangs that hung thick, low enough that the irises weren't clearly seen. His mouth was quirked impishly, boyishly, as he gazed over the girl he so clearly loved.

Kagome leaned closer, trying to read their name badges pinned to their lapels, scowling when she couldn't make out the tags in the slightly blurry, monochrome exposure of the picture.

The air suddenly had a charge to it—static and tangible.

Another presence.

"I see the Remembrance Hall has caught your interest."

Kagome spun around at the sound of a deep and amused voice, a shrill scream of surprise lodged in her throat. From the shadows of the halfway closed door emerged the Chief.

As usual he wore a pressed suit. His hair neat and tidy was draped over his shoulders. His eyes seemed to gleam from the darkness surrounding him until he stepped into the moonlight, and Kagome was struck again by how young he looked and the not-young air that constantly hovered and surrounded him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." His expression turned apologetic, then brightened again. "What are you doing up so late in the evening? Or, should I say, so early in the morning."

"N-no thats alright," Kagome stammered ineloquently, squirming, rubbing her naked toes against the opposite foot. "I couldn't sleep."

There was a sudden flash of understanding. "Ah, I see."

His eyes wandered over to the photographs—_the _photograph. Looked back at her.

Kagome flushed in embarrassment when a faint smirk of amusement twitched at his lips.

Another shadow suddenly passed through the threshold, standing partially behind the Chief. It was the boy. The boy with the blank stare and inscrutable features that she had first seen in the Great Hall for her induction ceremony. He didn't even look in her direction, as if she weren't even there.

"My task has been completed, sir," He said without preamble, his words for the Chief, stiff and monotoned. Like a robot.

"Good work, Kohaku. Thats all I need of you...for now. You're dismissed," the Chief replied, crimson eyes never straying from Kagomes rigid form.

The boy—Kohaku—gave a slight bow and then turned on his heel and left them in loud silence.

The sky was beginning to lighten with the slight inkling of dawn, casting a glow on the wall on which the portraits hung.

"Kohaku," Kagome began after a moment, blue-grey eyes narrowing interestedly. "He is your...?"

"The boy is my servant," he grinned, amused by her bluntness. "More like an apprentice, I would say. He does small chores for me that I am otherwise to busy to see through."

"Like what?"

More bluntness. His grin morphed into a smirk.

"Oh, small things. Trivial things. He delivers messages to partners in other sectors, and fetches small packages to make sure they aren't tampered with. The task he just completed was making sure the rest of the new field agent equipment was delivered properly. He is quite useful, I assure you."

Kagome stared the man down, her fidgeting ceasing. Something was ringing false about his words. _"Lair!" _Her mind screamed. _"He's a liar!" _There was something more to this boy and the story behind him, Kagome was sure.

The Chief remained impassive, smiling his knowing smile as if he was daring her to say something more, something against his 'false' statements.

Everything was wrong.

"How fortunate he has someone like you to employ him." Kagome said at last, forcing a smile on her mouth.

"The boys history is a tragic one. He was found by some civilians, wandering the outskirts of the city, dazed and clearly confused. He didn't speak a word until I heard of him and took him under my wing. Had I not, Kohaku would have been sent to the worst part of the city to work under someone who would've used him for free slave-labor.

"After some time working for me, I earned his trust and he began talk. Little by little, but it was progress. And it was eventually revealed that his family had been slaughtered by a insane murderer. And thats why—"

"He is the way that he is," Kagome finished thoughtfully.

He nodded, looking grim for all intents and purposes. "Precisely."

It was truly a disturbing story, one that made Kagome shudder. Who would do such a thing to a family?

Her eyes subconsciously wandered to the Chief who had turned away towards the photograph once more, feeling as though she was looking at her answer. He was frowning indistinctly and, if Kagome wasn't mistaken, he seemed to be eyeing the same two lovebirds she had been scrutinizing earlier.

"They made quite the pair...didn't they?" he muttered conversationally.

"W-what? Oh...Yes." Said Kagome, throwing a glance down the hall, wishing someone would appear, realizing just how alone they were. "They—they seemed very much in love."

"Yes," he purred. One of his fingers grazed the surface, seemingly caressing the face of the female, as one might trace of the face of their beloved. "They did."

Kagome was confused, as if she'd just missed a big clue to the ever expanding puzzle. "Did..did you know them?"

Those blood-red eyes were suddenly on her, blazing with, what looked like, barely veiled fury. "No."

Kagome faltered by the abrupt anger. As if to make amends, she backed away. Two, three steps. "I'm sorry. I just thought—It seemed as though you knew...them; her."

He appeared to come to his senses, smoothing his hair down like the ruffled feathers of a peacock. "No, I ah—I apologize. It's just that my father knew them well. He was in love with...with _her,"_ he faltered, snarling the word, nearly convulsing with that sudden anger. It was gone in a blink, and Kagome didn't even know it had truly been there to begin with.

He sighed. "But, as you can see, she was in love with another."

"Yes. They look very happy."

"They were. Until the girl died."

The world suddenly tilted, and a nauseating sensation overtook her like some lingering ghost of the past. A menacing, dark, and terrifying laugh which echoed sickeningly in her ears, sounding far away but loud at the same time. Phantom pain bloomed in her upper shoulder, right below her collarbone, and though she'd never been shot, she imagined that the immense pain was similar to that.

Everything was a blur, felt like a nightmare and daydream all rolled into one. She heard someone calling her...a man calling her name. But no, it wasn't her name. It was a name she didn't recognize but knew just the same. She heard him calling...calling frantically, scared—his screams lifting to the skies.

She wanted to find him.

"Really?" She heard herself say from a far away place. "How sad."

She _needed _to find _him_. He needed her, just as she needed him. Neither were whole when they were apart.

"Yes," the dark voice responded frown down a long tunnel. "It was. The man was so overcome with grief that he quit the field agents, and disappeared. He was never seen from again."

There was an enraged snarl that burst forth from the very recess of her mind, a cry of absolute desperation._ "KIKYO!" _

Kagome gasped at the unwarranted epiphany, coming back to herself. "Her name was Kikyo. Wasn't it?"

The Chief was gazing at her intently and Kagome knew she really didn't even need to ask.

He smiled slowly, the expression twisting as if he found something he'd been looking for. "Yes. It was."

Dazed and terribly confused, Kagoem reached up to touch her shoulder, where the pain radiated the most. Curious fingers pushed her cotton tank-top to the side, probing the completely unmarred area. Even as she did, the discomfort lessened, fading away more and more with each stroke of her fingers against her smooth skin.

"Are you alright?" The Chief asked. His eyes remained annoyingly knowing. "You look a tad peakish."

Kagome jerked her head up, tugged back into the present. "Yes. I'm sorry. I just—I suppose I got lost in thought for moment."

"Thats perfectly alright." He said, waving his hand around dismissively. "You're probably just tired."

He reached for her, pressing a hand against the small of her back and steering her towards the door. "Speaking of which. I believe its time I returned you to the dormitories and head back to the Aramitama office."

Kagome was led from the room, down the hall and up the stairs towards the captains domain. Once there the Chief halted and Kagome smiled weakly.

"Thank you," she said in a small voice, though didn't know what she was thanking him for.

He nodded, red eyes filled with a humor she didn't care for. "Of course."

Kagome turned and gently pressed open one of the large doors. As she slipped inside, she paused and glanced back.

"Goodnight, Chief," she called softly, trying not to wake her still slumbering companions.

Frankly, Kagome didn't think the man deserved such niceties, but he was till in charge of the field agents and of her. The least she could do was pretend.

The chief stopped, already halfway down the staircase, grinned over his shoulder, hair practically draping and falling over and around him like a cloak.

"Please, Kagome," He said, her name a sickening caress doled out by his tongue. "Call me Naraku."

xXx

A week later found Kagome standing by Hitomi's side, gnawing her lip and fidgeting incessantly.

Hitomi finally looked up at her latest statement, squinting at her. "You need to do _what?_"

"I need to go see my mother," Kagome reiterated, the words a rush. "And possibly my brother, if I can manage it."

She knew she shouldn't be asking him of this, not after spending a week tip-toeing around him after their little 'chat' in the gyms. But ever since her encounter with the Chief she hadn't managed to stop thinking of her family and knew it was time to return. Besides, if Hitomi wanted her to have a clear head and sharp attention, then she needed to do this.

It was time to move on.

Hitomi stood up from the table, staring her down.

The Pit was relatively clear. All of the cadets and field agents were either on the field, resting, or training. Her agents in particular were enjoying a bit of down-time in the dormitories. A few crew were bustling around and cleaning up in preparation for the dinner rush.

"And I was just coming to you to ask if I could maybe," she twiddled her fingers, staring at her shoes, "request some time off. Sir," she added quietly.

Hitomi's jaw rotated, brown eyes hooded, mouth set: his thinking face.

"Fine," he said finally, not at all sounding happy with the decision. "But you know you didn't need to ask me, right? You're a captain now. As long as your not on rotation for guarding the Wall tonight, you can request time off."

Kagome blinked. That was news. "Oh. Well."

She cleared her throat, and lifted her nose, trying to look knowledgeable, knowing she was doing anything but. "I knew that."

Hitomi tipped his head to the side and snickered. "Nice try. "

They departed the Pit soon after and took the small journey to the captains quarters. Once there, Hitomi suggested leaving for the train depot as soon as possible.

"Why?" Kagome asked.

"Because," he said, dropping down onto his bed. "There is an unusually large cell of demons moving in. They guards at the Wall estimate they'll be here in a few days time. The first wave is heading here tonight and I'll be on the front lines. You'll need to be back by then."

Neither of them knew how long she'd be gone—a day or two. Three at the absolute most. But he helped her pack a small knapsack anyway, filling it with a few changes of clothes, a small packed lunch, and a reasonable amount of money; a portion of her captains earnings.

Then he escorted her to the front of the dormitories where an idling car sat waiting at the end of the path. Kagome was surprised at his preparedness. When she quirked a questioning brow at him for this he merely shrugged, but his mouth carved up into a smug grin.

"I called for it while you were making sure you had everything," he informed.

Kagome opened the passenger door to toss her bag inside, but stopped when she saw that the car had no driver. Surely he hadn't meant for _her_ to drive because, well, she couldn't. She whirled around and hiked a thumb over her shoulder to indicate the obvious mistake.

"Um...? Hitomi?"

"Yeah?"

"There isn't a, um, driver." She said, her words sounding like a question he was meant to answer.

He chuckled, shook his head, and stuffed his hands into the loose flowing pants that always made Kagome bashful. "Yea, I know. It's one of those new automated cars that Kushimitama just started producing."

Kagome turned, in awe of the technology the ingenious people of Kushimitama were able to come up with. She stroked the side of the chrome toned vehicle, mouth agape.

"This is crazy."

"I know. And the most amazing part is that they run on very small amounts of electricity. With a few large batteries this thing could take you from one end of the Wall to the other. No problem."

"Wow."

She slipped into the car, gazing in awe at the buttons on the dash, the glass roof above her head which let her see the bright blue sky.

"This is amazing," she told Hitomi after rolling down her window. "Can you imagine how expensive this thing is? I bet only the very wealthy will be able to own one."

He chuckled again at the childlike quality of her voice and leaned forward, bracing his forearms against her door. Their noses were mere inches apart.

"I know. Enjoy it well. This might be the last time you see one."

She stuck her tongue out at him briefly. But soon her expression fell thoughtful and she bit her lip. "Could you...—can you tell Eri and Hojo that I left but that I'll be back soon? I know they'll want to know."

As the current commanding captain of her friends, Hitomi nodded. "Of course. But that reminds me..."

"What?"

"I forgot that I got you a present for becoming a captain. I just never gave it to you." He snickered when she opened her mouth as if to protest and demand her present be given to her now. "You'll get it when you get back."

"Unfair," she cried and playfully swatted a hand at him.

His deep brown eyes abruptly went soft. Without another word, another intake of breath, he leaned forward, gently pressing his forehead against her own. "Just remember to come back."

Kagomes lips parted soundless, eyes dancing across his face, until his own eyes captured them. "I promise," she whispered.

"Good," Hitomi whispered back and the sound made Kagome shiver, grinning slightly.

Hitomi gave her one last smile and reached across Kagomes torso, pressing a few glowing buttons on the dashboard, routing the desired destination. The car, programmed and ready to go, slowly advanced, rolling from the front of the dormitories. Hitomi stepped back, watching her go.

Kagome leaned forward as far as her seatbelt would go and leaned her upper half out of the window as the car picked up speed. "Be careful," she called back, eyeing him purposefully. He had better make it safely through the upcoming battles.

"Yes ma'am," he called back, grinning playfully and saluting her sarcastically.

Kagome watched as his figure grew smaller and smaller, and knew wholeheartedly she had something to look forward to on her return; him.

Finally he and the large building and dormitories disappeared altogether, vanishing like mirages in the ever fading distance. And without any traffic in sight the car took the opportunity and sped up.

She reached for one of the knobs, twisting it on. Music suddenly flooded the space. It was a lyric-less, and nameless as far as she knew. But she also knew it was beautiful, a story told through dulcet tones alone.

She closed her eyes, smiling softly and humming in pleasure at all of the beautiful sounds harmoniously floating, dancing their way into her eardrums.

The far off notes of a piano.

The quick, jumpy chirps of a violin's strings.

She kept the window rolled down, and finally angled her face towards the seducing scent of fresh air drifting in. He her onyx hair flew into her vision as she opened her eyes. The wind whipped her face faster then the scenery and her eyes couldn't keep up with it.

Never had she experienced something like this, had never had she ridden in a car before. Impulsively, she leaned forward and out the window once again, giggling at the sensation, opening her arms wide, inhaling the fresh air that stung her cheeks and embraced the open road ahead of her.

She was going home.


End file.
